Neymar is keen on returning to Europe to play for Barcelona before his career is finished, despite having only just re-signed for Santos in Brazil.
After making just seven appearances in 18 months for Al-Hilal, Neymar mutually agreed to terminate his contract with the Saudi Arabian side so that he could return to his boyhood club Santos. The Brazilian has hit the ground running there, too, registering five goal involvements in six games in less than a month.
But, having only signed a short-term deal with Santos that will keep him at the club until the end of June, Neymar has already started thinking about his future - and it seems he's dreaming of a European return.
Neymar holds talks with Barcelona over shock return
Neymar departed Europe in the summer of 2023 when Al-Hilal paid PSG £77.6m for his services, putting an end to his time on the continent after a decade. The 33-year-old had initially arrived in 2013 when he signed for Barcelona, and during his time at the two sides he lifted the Champions League on one occasion, seven league titles and six domestic trophies.
And opening negotiations between Neymar and Barcelona have now taken place.
According to Spanish outlet Sport, Neymar's agent, Pini Zahavi, has made contact with Barcelona over a potential return to the club in the summer on a free transfer. The report suggests that Neymar is keen on moving back to Catalonia where he enjoyed four successful seasons.
Barcelona, though, are reportedly less keen on completing the deal. Finances are, of course, a major stumbling block for the Blaugrana, who would need to free up space on the wage bill in order to sign Neymar. He's not seen as a "preferred target" at the moment, either, but if he is prepared to accept a "reasonable" wage then a deal could then become possible.
Deco, Barcelona's sporting director, discussed the possibility of Neymar returning to the club last month, suggesting that, as much as they would like to conclude a deal, it wouldn't make any sense considering the finances involved.
The return of Neymar to Barca has always been a distant possibility," Deco told TNT Sports Brasil. "Since his move to Saudi Arabia, we’ve understood that he’s an expensive player with significant financial demands, especially under La Liga’s financial fair play regulations."
Speculation around Neymar's return to Barcelona comes at the same time reports suggest Messi is desperate to play at the new Camp Nou when it finally re-opens.
In FourFourTwo's view, it seems extremely unlikely that Barcelona would re-sign Neymar, especially considering his injury record in recent seasons and the money involved. He would have to take a major pay-cut to agree to a deal, while also accepting that he might not play every minute of every game, too.
