FC Barcelona Sends Clear Message to Neymar Amid Return Speculation

In light of ongoing speculation regarding Neymar’s potential return to FC Barcelona, the Catalan club has reportedly communicated a clear message to the Brazilian forward. According to the newspaper Sport, Barça officials have stated to Neymar, „First, score 15 goals for Santos, then we will consider signing you.“ The report did not cite specific sources.

Neymar has been playing for his former youth club, FC Santos in Brazil, since late January. His time with Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia was cut short due to a serious injury, specifically a torn ACL, which ultimately led to an early termination of his contract. Neymar had also fallen out of favor with coach Jorge Jesus during his time in Saudi Arabia.

After a difficult start at Santos, where he went three matches without scoring, the 33-year-old forward has managed to net three goals in his last seven appearances. His contract with Santos is set to expire at the end of June. Recently, The Athletic outlined arguments for and against a potential signing of Neymar by FC Barcelona.

Neymar’s Stellar Career at Barcelona

Neymar’s name has surfaced in discussions about a return to Camp Nou largely due to his knack for drawing media attention and keeping himself in the spotlight, as noted by Sport.

During his time at FC Barcelona, Neymar enjoyed great success, forming a formidable attacking trio with Argentina’s World Cup champion Lionel Messi and Uruguay’s Luis Suárez. Currently, Messi and Suárez are playing together in Major League Soccer for Inter Miami.

Neymar made headlines in the summer of 2017 when he transferred to Paris Saint-Germain for a record fee of €222 million. Six years later, he sought a new challenge in Saudi Arabia.