Transfer Centre

Lionel Messi: 'I don't know if Barcelona did everything to sign Neymar'

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 12 September 2019

Messi unsure over Barca's efforts to sign Neymar

Lionel Messi insists that he does not know whether Barcelona made a sustained effort to sign Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar this summer.

Lionel Messi has admitted that he would have "loved" to have seen Neymar return to Barcelona during the most recent transfer window.

Despite having spent just two years at Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar was eager to be brought back to Camp Nou during the summer, only to ultimately remain at Parc des Princes.

The Argentina international has acknowledged that he held conversations regarding a potential reunion with his former teammate, although the 32-year-old has cast doubt over whether the Catalan giants went all out to re-sign the attacker.

Messi told Sport: "I would have loved Neymar to have rejoined the club. Honestly, I don't know if Barcelona did everything possible to ensure his return.

"However, it is certainly true that negotiating with PSG isn't easy. On a sporting level, Neymar is one of the best in the world. The club would also have taken a leap in terms of the level of image rights and sponsors.

"I never asked for the signing of Neymar. All I did was give my opinion."

Negotiations for the Brazilian are likely to restart either in January or at the end of the campaign.