Neymar: Rumoured Transfer 'Almost Discarded' as Barcelona Admit Defeat in Pursuit of PSG Star
Barcelona have abandoned their efforts to bring Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar back to Catalonia this summer.
The 27-year-old left La Blaugrana for the Ligue 1 champions in 2017, joining for a world-record fee of €222m. However, he has grown increasingly restless in the French capital and looked certain to depart ahead of the 2019/20 campaign, but the Spaniards are unwilling to meet PSG's asking price.
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The presidents of the two clubs involved - Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Josep Bartomeu - met in Monaco during midweek to discuss Neymar's move, yet the pair had vastly different valuations of the player.
In light of his conversation with Al-Khelaifi, the latter has informed others on the Barcelona board that a deal for the Brazilian is not feasible, as reported by Mundo Deportivo.
The Parisians made it clear that an offer of €215m from Barça would convince them to sell, with the La Liga outfit dropping their interest as a result.
PSG had already proposed a swap-deal involving Ousmane Dembele, Nelson Semedo and Ivan Rakitic, though none of the trio were keen on a switch to the club.
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That left the French side's sporting director, Leonardo, demanding La Blaugrana stump up the requisite fee, with failure to do so making a transfer impossible.
The Spanish transfer window closes on 2 September, leaving Barça very little time to wrap up a deal for Neymar should they change their stance.
Real Madrid had also been looking to buy the striker, but they too were put off by the enormous sum needed to land him.
