After a week in which talk of Neymar Junior potentially returning to Barcelona has surfaced once again, the player’s father and agent has dampened talk of a move. Neymar returned to Brazil and his boyhood club Santos last month after rescinding his deal with Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia earlier, but his contract with Santos lasts only until the summer.
For a number of years it has been reported that Neymar would like to return to the Blaugrana, and this summer is the most viable that has been in some time, with Barcelona President Joan Laporta reportedly putting in place two conditions for his arrival. His father and agent Neymar Snr. explained in an interview that they planned to be at Santos longer than the length of his contract though.
“Our project is not just five months, even though my son’s contract is only five months,” he told TNT Sports Brasil, as quoted by Sport.
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“We didn’t come here to play for five months, we came to give Santos the opportunity to restructure during this time, to find allies who can help the club get back on its feet. And a lot of people have shown up.”
Meanwhile Neymar himself was less definitive on the matter, but said he was focusing on his football.
“I didn’t want to do a long contract because I didn’t know I would come back. I didn’t know how I was going to feel playing. I think anything can happen,” he said.
“The contract we have made, we made it thinking not only between the two of us. One is helping the other. Santos is helping me, it opened the doors for me to rediscover football and rediscover joy.”
Barcelona are reportedly looking for a left winger in the summer, of quality, and the Brazilian is keen to build up steam ahead of the 2026 World Cup. However Barcelona manager Hansi Flick is seemingly against the idea, and there are concern’s over the 33-year-old’s fitness. Neymar made just 20 appearances between joining Santos and the 2022 World Cup for Brazil, Al-Hilal and Paris Saint-Germain, suffering several serious injuries.
