Neymar has been heavily linked with a Barcelona return but Xavi has other plans (Twitter Image)
With Neymar being heavily linked with a return back to FC Barcelona, the head coach Xavi has played down any reunion links claiming Barca have ‘different priorities’
Barcelona head coach Xavi has reportedly refuted all speculations about Neymar’s potential return to the Spanish club. Following a six-season spell with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Neymar has been heavily linked with an exit this summer with Barcelona as one of his favoured destinations.
Speaking on Podcast Jijantes FC, Xavi addressed the rumours about Neymar’s link with Barcelona, revealing a stern statement that the Brazilian star does not fall into his future plans. For a reason, Xavi said that Barcelona have already built a strong attacking third featuring Ansu Fati, Raphinha, Ousmane Dembele, and Ferran Torres. “I really like Neymar as a friend. But we have different priorities,” Xavi said, as quoted by The Sun.
Rumours about Neymar’s return to Camp Nou began to develop after Barcelona failed to capitalise on a deal with Lionel Messi, who is set to join Inter Miami of the Major League Soccer (MLS) next season.
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Prior to joining PSG in 2017, Neymar spent as many as four seasons with Barcelona and won the treble comprising La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champions League in the 2014-15 season.
The Brazilian made 186 appearances in the Barcelona outfit across all competitions, scoring 105. Neymar also shared the Barcelona dressing room with Xavi for two seasons before the former Spanish midfielder shifted his base to Qatari club, Al Sadd, in 2015.
Neymar’s move to PSG created a huge buzz in the transfer market as the French giants spent a record amount of £198 million to make the deal happen. Since then, Neymar has played 173 matches for PSG and has netted a total of 118 goals while providing 77 assists.
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The relationship between Neymar and PSG deteriorated after the Paris-based side suffered another elimination from the Champions League this season. Despite, enjoying some fruitful seasons at PSG, Neymar failed to win the much-coveted Champions League for the Ligue 1 club.
Considering the current financial situation of Barcelona, the Spanish club will find it hard to bear the high salary of Neymar, who is believed to earn a weekly wage of £600,000.