Barcelona reportedly failed with a bid worth €80 million in pursuit of their former attacking powerhouse Neymar in the summer.
According to an exclusive report by French outlet Le 10 Sport, it has once again been confirmed that Barcelona wanted to sign Neymar in the summer transfer window. However, their €80 million offer was rejected by Paris Saint-Germain, who eventually ended up swooping Lionel Messi away just as they had with the Brazilian four years ago.
Neymar joined Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona in a world record transfer that was perhaps the most shocking move of the last couple of decade or so before Lionel Messi’s own switch to PSG. As for the Brazilian himself, he has had a roller-coaster of a journey in the French capital, complete with run-ins, fitness issues as well as typically top class performances.
To date, the 29-year-old has a fantastic record of 87 goals and 52 assists in 117 appearances, which suggests just how good he has been for PSG. However, he could well have been on his way back to Barcelona, if Neymar himself as well as the Catalan giants had their way.
As per the report, Barcelona tabled an offer worth €80 million for Neymar, who was even keen on returning to Camp Nou, as recently revealed by Joan Laporta. This offer was submitted early in the summer transfer window, only for PSG to reject it. In fact, Les Parisiens did not even take the offer seriously as it was well below their valuation of the Brazilian international.
Eventually, as had coincidentally happened four years ago when Barcelona tried to sign Marco Verratti, it was PSG who ended up being the big winners as Lionel Messi ended up making his way to Paris in the end. This time around, though, it was in the form of a free transfer after Barcelona were unable to confirm a new deal for their former captain even after agreeing terms of a contract.
Also Read: Barcelona Summer Transfer Window Verdict 2021/22
As for the move for Neymar, this is not the first time that Barcelona have been keen on re-signing the 29-year-old, having also famously been in his pursuit in the summer of 2019, when he was at loggerheads with the PSG decision makers.
There have been ample suggestions that Neymar has been keen on returning to Barcelona as well, although with Messi now at PSG, he appears to be a happy camper at Parc des Princes.