Barcelona President Joan Laporta revealed that Neymar wanted to return to Barcelona before Lionel Messi’s shock departure to join the Brazilian at PSG. Along with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, Neymar spent four years at Barcelona winning two La Liga titles, three Copa del Reys, and the Champions League. In the last couple of years, he has always been linked with a move back to the La Liga with Barcelona. Laporta has now revealed that he had spoken to Neymar about a move back before the true scale of the financial issues had come out.
“We tried to sign Neymar. From the conversations that we had, bringing him here seemed like an attractive proposition and he was keen to come,” Barcelona president Joan Laporta said. “We interpreted fair play differently, but based on the way [Javier] Tebas [LaLiga president] interprets it, there was no point in making that offer.”
Laporta said it was strange to see Messi play in a jersey of another club. He revealed that he has not spoken to the Argentinian after his departure but watched his debut for the Ligue 1 club.
“It was weird to see him wear another kit and to know that we won’t have him here,” Laporta said. “It’s a strange feeling and I didn’t enjoy seeing him play for a rival club that we have faced in the past. As for Messi’s decision to join PSG, Laporta added: “I didn’t like it. They are our rivals to boot and a team that we’ve faced in the past.”
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