Why Neymar's Barcelona Return Collapsed & How Lionel Messi Started the Saga
Barcelona's push to sign Paris Saint-Germain winger Neymar this summer broke down after Ousmane Dembele refused to agree to a move to Paris.
The La Liga side's pursuit of Neymar was the main story of the summer, but talks ultimately broke down towards the end of the transfer window after Barcelona could not offer a satisfactory proposal.
Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/GettyImages
Barcelona explored a number of potential player-plus-cash swap deals for Neymar, including Ivan Rakitic, Jean-Clair Todibo and Dembele. However, according to The Independent, the move broke down because of Dembele's determination not to leave Camp Nou.
Both Rakitic and Todibo are believed to have agreed to the deal, but Dembele did not. Knowing how important he was to the transfer, Dembele's representatives are believed to have demanded 'ludicrous' financial terms which neither PSG nor Barcelona were prepared to accept.
As a result, talks broke down and Neymar is not set to remain at the Parc des Princes for at least one more season.
It's an underwhelming conclusion to one of the biggest transfer stories in history. Barcelona's interest in bringing Neymar back to the club seemingly came out of nowhere, and L'Equipe believe that it was Lionel Messi who actually started the whole thing.
Messi and Neymar are believed to have remained close following the Brazilian's acrimonious departure from Camp Nou in 2017, and Neymar told Messi that he had grown weary of life in Paris.
As a result, the Argentine replied to him with a message which read: "We need you to win the Champions League again".
LLUIS GENE/GettyImages
Messi then went to Barcelona chiefs with the same message, whilst Neymar was left convinced that a return to the Blaugrana would be best for him. What followed was an incredibly complicated, drawn-out saga, but it ultimately amounted to nothing.
Given everything which occurred, it seems incredibly likely that Barcelona will reignite their interest in Neymar next summer, but they may face competition from arch-rivals Real Madrid, who were also keen on the winger this summer.
