Barcelona Transfer News: Neymar Tipped to Stay, Latest Rumours

Neymar has been tipped to stay at Barcelona this summer amid rumours he could sign for Paris Saint-Germain. Defender Marlon Santos and midfielder Sergi Samper have both predicted the Brazilian forward will remain at the Camp Nou.

The pair were quoted after Neymar scored to help beat Juventus 2-1 in a friendly in New Jersey on Saturday. Marlon said, per Spanish publication Sport (h/t FourFourTwo): "For me, Neymar is one of the best players in the world. I haven't spoken with him but I hope he stays. He's our team-mate and one of the best. We want him to stay with us. We don't need to convince Neymar to stay. He's here with us and he's going to stay."

Meanwhile, Samper sounded even more confident, per the same sources: "Neymar will stay. He looks relaxed and he hasn't given any hints that he wants to go."

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It isn't just fringe players talking up the idea of Neymar staying. The report from FourFourTwo also cited Sport revealing two more high-profile team-mates have been talking to the player:

"Meanwhile, Sport have reported team-mates Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez spoke at length with Neymar on Saturday evening at the Sheraton Hotel in New Jersey, trying to convince him to stay.

"It is claimed the former Santos star was won over by his strike partners, although he has yet to make a public declaration over his plans."

While Barca's players sound confident Neymar will stay, discussions between the club and the player's father have reportedly not gone well. A report from RAC1 (h/t Sport, via Football-Espana.net) said Neymar Sr. met with the Barcelona board, but no agreement for his son to stay has been reached.

Rumours of PSG's interest in Neymar have been building in recent days. Spanish source Marca (h/t MailOnline's Jack Bezants) reported the megarich Ligue 1 club is prepared to pay £26.5 million a year to bring the former Santos star to the French capital.

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Keeping Neymar would be a boost for Barcelona, even though the Blaugrana already have two other marquee forwards to rely on. Both Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are free-scoring match-winners.

While it's true Neymar is a quality forward in his own right, he does benefit from the talent around him. Specifically, both Suarez and Messi boast the vision and technique to consistently pick out his runs from the left.

The pace and timing of Neymar's runs make him the perfect foil for the guile of Messi and Suarez.

Away from their forward line, Barca could look to strengthen their defence with a move for Nice ace Malang Sarr. The Blaugrana are one of three sides interested in the 18-year-old centre-back, according to Sky Sports News.

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Barca's bitter La Liga rivals Real Madrid, as well as Premier League champions Chelsea, are also interested in the defender, who has a £36 million release clause in his contract, per the report.

Signing Sarr would give Barcelona another young quality defender to build a new-look back four around. The club got a steal when they signed France international Samuel Umtiti for £24.6 million last summer. He turned out to be one of Barca's better signings.

Keeping Neymar and adding some fresh talent to the defence would represent a highly successful summer transfer window for the Blaugrana.