Paris Saint-Germain’s pursuit of Ousmane Dembele from Barcelona might result in Neymar, the world’s most expensive footballer, moving in the opposite direction.
It’s anticipated that PSG will finalize the acquisition of Dembele by the end of the week, as they have reached an agreement on personal terms with the French winger and are prepared to pay Barcelona €50 million to secure his release.
Forbes reports that as part of negotiations aimed at convincing Barcelona to part ways with Dembele, PSG has proposed loaning their former player Neymar back to the Catalans.
PSG has been keen to offload Neymar and perceives this situation as an opportunity to unload the player for whom they set a world record transfer fee of €222 million to secure from Barcelona in 2017.
Neymar had a stint with Barcelona from 2013 to 2017, forming one of the most formidable attacking partnerships in global football alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. During his time at the Catalan club, they collectively scored 364 goals over three seasons.
Xavi sends Dembele Neymar warning
Meanwhile, Xavi Hernandez sought to scare Ousmane Dembele away from a transfer to PSG by emphasising how Neymar has fared since leaving Barcelona for the French capital, SB Nation reports.
Neymar has struggled with injuries, been booed by supporters and failed to bring the Champions League to PSG since completing a world record move to the Parisians in 2017.
Xavi is incredibly disappointed by Dembele after being told by the Frenchman before the 3-0 Clasico win over Real Madrid that he wanted to leave.
Neymar scores stunning goal
Earlier, Sports Brief reported Neymar Junior made a grand comeback, delivering a sensational goal against Jeonbuk during a pre-season match for Paris Saint-Germain.
The 31-year-old had been absent from PSG’s pre-season games until the friendly encounter with the South Korean club on Thursday. His return to action had been shrouded in mystery amid rumours of a possible departure.
However, on August 3, Luis Enrique granted his star forward some game time, and Neymar seized the opportunity with an astonishing goal.