Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has said that Neymar is free to part ways with the French champions, should the right offer come by during the summer transfer window. The Brazil international has been linked with a return to Barcelona in recent weeks and the speculation has further intensified from the fact that the attacker has not reported for the opening day of pre-season training.
Speaking to reporters, Leonardo said that the club won’t restrict players from leaving, should they lack the ambition of representing the team. He added that Neymar is free to head through the exit door but the club have not received any offers for the Brazilian to date, he said: “Neymar can leave PSG, if there is an offer that suits everyone. But to date, we do not know if anyone wants to buy him or at what price.
“All this is not done in a day, that’s for sure. But one thing is concrete today: he still has three years of contract with us and since we have not received an offer, we cannot discuss anything. PSG wants to rely on players who want to stay and build something big. We do not need players who would do a favour for the club by staying here.”
Neymar has been heavily linked with a comeback with the Blaugrana and there have been reports claiming that he may force through a departure from Parc des Princes. When Neymar’s father was asked about the same, he happened to decline the speculation and insisted that the attacker would return to pre-season training next week after the completion of the duties with the Neymar foundation.
Barcelona have yet to make a formal approach to re-sign the former Santos graduate but reports have indicated that they may prefer an exchange of players for the attacker rather than a straight-cash move. Samuel Umtiti, Ivan Rakitic, and Ousmane Dembele have been touted as potential candidates, who could be offered as part of the deal to land Neymar this summer.