Neymar 'Can Do What He Wants' and Join Real Madrid, Says Josep Maria Bartomeu

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu said he has no objections to the possibility of Neymar going to Real Madrid.

Neymar left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain last summer and has been linked with a move to Real in the future.

Bartomeu spoke to RAC and was quoted by Sport as saying (h/t FourFourTwo): "He can do what he wants. If he goes to Madrid, we'll play against him. We were surprised how he left. The day he said it was done, it had already been done for some time."

Marca's Jose Felix Diaz reported Los Blancos' directors are evaluating the possibility of signing him and have been informed he would be happy at the prospect of playing at the Santiago Bernabeu alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, and the feeling would be mutual.

The Brazilian came close to joining Los Blancos in his youth, per sports journalist Mootaz Chehade:

While it would likely rankle with Barcelona supporters were he to fulfil that childhood ambition given he has since represented the Blaugrana, it might at least be more palatable than if he had left the club directly for their bitter rivals, as Luis Figo infamously did in 2000.

For now, the forward is at PSG, where he got his career off to an excellent start prior to his season-ending injury in February, per ESPN Stats & Info:

It won't be easy for Real to prise him away from the Parc des Princes, given Les Parisiens splashed out €222 million to land him, and at the least, they'd likely want the same fee put on the table before considering his sale.

Bartomeu appears to care little after Neymar's departure, which soured his relationship with the club if not the fans.

Privately, Barca would likely prefer he remains at PSG rather than come back to haunt them in La Liga.