Did PSG warn Barcelona about move for Neymar three years ago? La Liga side may rue their interest in Marco Verratti

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi warned Europe's biggest clubs that any attempt to sign his best players would be met with 'consequences'

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi warned clubs about signing their players (Getty)

Paris Saint-Germain will not let up in their pursuit of Neymar after lodging a £189m offer to trigger his release clause, but did they warn Barcelona of the world-record raid three years ago?

The sensational approach has lit up the summer transfer window, with the Ligue 1 club ready to break the world transfer record by more than double the previous mark, which saw Paul Pogba return to Manchester United last season for £89m.

Once completed, the move will see Neymar become the world’s most expensive player and also the highest-paid professional sportsman in the world, with PSG offering wages of over £500,000-a-week after tax.

Barcelona are known to be furious with the manner of the approach and the way that Neymar has forced his way out, despite a source close to the Catalans’ board insisting that the club have always done their best to look after him since his arrival from Santos in 2013.

But was the football world warned of this prospect three years ago by the PSG president?

When Manchester City expressed an interest in signing Blaise Matuidi in 2014, Nasser Al-Khelaifi had a stern warning for any club looking to sign one of PSG’s best players.

“I am not worried because they know that if they touch one of our players, then we will be in opposition to them, we'll contact their players,” Al-Khelaifi said. “We respect all clubs. But if they try to sign one of our players, they'll face consequences.”

Barcelona appear to have crossed this line, with the Spanish club expressing an interesting in PSG midfielder Marco Verratti earlier this summer. PSG made it clear that they would not allow the Italy international to leave under any circumstances, and Barcelona could well be feeling the repercussions of that interest by losing one of their prize assets in Neymar.