Barcelona Vice President Accuses Neymar of 'Cat and Mouse' Game Before PSG Move

The calendar may have changed to 2018, but Barcelona still don't appear to have gotten over Neymar's transfer to Paris-Saint Germain. Jorge Mestre, one of the club's vice presidents, has taken a shot at the Brazil international, saying he "played cat and mouse" with the Catalans.

In an interview with Sport (via Marca), Mestre expressed his frustration with how the transfer played out:

"What hurt me the most was we spent a whole tour talking with him and with his father... and they were not transparent.

"He played cat and mouse with us.

"We saw what was happening and that's why we told him we wouldn't pay him the renewal premium."

Michel Spingler/Associated Press

He also aimed a dig at the winger and his reason for leaving the club: "He saw that he would never be the No. 1 in the world while [Lionel] Messi was at Barcelona. Neymar said that to be the No. 1 in the world he had to leave the club, so it's legitimate that he thought to do so."

The 25-year-old left Spain for Paris in the summer and immediately became a target for Catalan and French media, as well as members connected to the club.

While he and PSG have been successful on the pitch, there have been numerous reports of behind-the-scenes issues, with Le Parisien reporting team-mates believe he receives far too many privileges (h/t Marca).

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Just weeks after reporting on his many privileges, the same outlet reported Neymar was upset at his lack of special treatment (h/t Sport). That highlights the many conflicting reports that have emerged in the past six months.

The former Santos man has bagged 18 goals in just 17 Ligue 1 appearances, and PSG sport a double-digit lead in France's top division. Neymar will return to Spain on Valentine's Day for the UEFA Champions league clash with Real Madrid, so an increase in stories is to be expected.

Barcelona reinvested some of the £200 million PSG paid them for the Brazilian in Ousmane Dembele, and they brought in Philippe Coutinho in January as well. But it seems they still haven't come to terms with Neymar's departure.