Barcelona board view Neymar as 'only Lionel Messi replacement' | OneFootball

Senior Barcelona officials have reportedly earmarked Neymar as the only viable replacement for Lionel Messi.

Neymar spent four successful years at Barça – winning six major titles – before joining Paris Saint-Germain for a world record €222m fee in 2017.

According to Sport, the LaLiga club understand that Messi is heading into the twilight of his career and will only replace him with ‘genuine world class ability’.

Barça spent most of last summer pursuing Neymar but were unsuccessful in their attempts, with PSG rejecting three bids including a swap deal involving Ousmane Dembélé.

Following the signing of Antoine Griezmann, the Catalan outfit are keen to cash in on Dembélé and Philippe Coutinho – both of whom cost a combined €265m – in order to generate funds.

It’s understood that Neymar is keen to re-join Barcelona despite claiming he had ‘no reason to leave’ Paris in November.

“Why would I want to leave? I still have two years on my contract, the team continues to progress,” he told France Football.

“We have to stay focused on this season to do things well and win as many trophies as possible.”

Prepare for another saga, people.