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Barcelona transfer news: Neymar’s father denies PSG exit by revealing he is in Brazil - not Barcelona

Neymar Sr has dismissed reports that he is already in Barcelona to broker the deal by giving an interview in Brazil

Jack de Menezes
Tuesday 02 July 2019 14:49 BST
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Neymar’s father has hinted that the world’s most expensive footballer will not return to Barcelona this summer, despite reports suggesting that talks were underway between the club and Paris Saint-Germain.

The Brazilian is facing an uncertain future with reports that he is looking to leave PSG, with his former club the most likely destination.

The speculation over his future has intensified by the understanding that PSG are willing to let him go after losing patience with his behaviour away from the club, having developed a liking for the Parisian lifestyle.

It was claimed on Tuesday by Brazilian outlet Esportivo Interativo that Neymar Sr, along with Neymar’s lawyer, were already in Barcelona and looking to broker a deal with Barcelona official Andre Cury – who helped organise the deal to take Neymar to La Liga in the first place as well as negotiating his departure to PSG two years ago.

But Neymar Sr has already denied the story and revealed that he is still in Brazil, with no plans to travel to Europe. Furthermore, he went on to stress that Neymar will return to Paris this summer once his post-season holiday has ended, having been ruled out of the ongoing Copa America tournament through injury.

“It's not planned anytime, I'm in Brazil and I'll stay here until my son returns to Paris,” Neymar Sr told Canal Supporters.

With Barcelona set to announce the £107m signing of Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann – after his release clause lowered from £179m on Monday – the prospect of Neymar also arriving at the Nou Camp this summer is a faint one, particularly if Barcelona are to comply with Uefa’s Financial Fair Play regulations without selling any key players.

The projected move was also disrupted by the outburst from Javier Tebas, the Liga president, who claimed that Neymar’s behaviour following his Barcelona departure would be “not good for the competition”.

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