Unfinished business – Neymar dreams of summer return to Barcelona, talks ongoing | OneFootball

Ever since he left the club in 2017, Neymar has been constantly linked with a return to FC Barcelona.

The Brazilian international signed for PSG in a world-record €222 million deal and spent six years in France, before moving to Saudi Arabia in 2023 when he joined Al-Hilal.

After enduring an injury-riddled spell there, Neymar is back to his boyhood club Santos, signing for them this past January, on a short-term contract.

Neymar dreams of Barcelona return

Now, David Ornstein of The Athletic reports that Neymar continues to dream of returning to Barcelona and is prioritising the same for the next summer.

In fact, the report adds that there are discussions taking place between the Brazilian superstar’s camp and Barça regarding the same.

It must be noted that Neymar’s agent, Pini Zahavi, has a very close relationship with Barcelona president Joan Laporta, while he also happens to be the representative of manager Hansi Flick.

Dreaming of a return. (Photo by Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images)

The roadmap

An alternate report from journalist Victor Navarro states that Neymar’s roadmap for the next few months is for him to recover his best version while playing for Santos and then make his way back into the Brazil national team to start preparing for the FIFA World Cup in 2026.

Post that, the superstar winger wants to rejoin Barcelona for free in the summer transfer window later this year.

The Brazilian’s camp is telling Barça: “Neymar will fill the Camp Nou for you,” to push things further.

However, it is not straightforward as much will depend on the Financial Fair Play situation. The Blaugrana already told Neymar in January that a move would be ‘impossible’ due to the economic situation and whether that changes in the summer remains to be seen.

Another thing is whether or not Hansi Flick sees him fit for his style of play at the club and wants to incorporate his signing.

As such, a lot of things will need to fall in place for Neymar to return but the Brazilian continues to dream.