Neymar Commits to PSG, Talks Possible Champions League Meeting with Barcelona

Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar has committed his future to the club and said a potential meeting with former side Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League would be "difficult" for him. 

Neymar moved to the French capital only a year ago, with PSG paying Barca a world-record sum for his services. Despite that, there has been speculation linking the Brazilian with a move back to Spain, with Real Madrid reported as possible suitors.

Per Mundo Deportivo (h/t Football Espana), Neymar has made it clear that at the moment he only sees himself in Paris: "My future? I have a contract with PSG, and I will be staying there."

With the Champions League draw set to take place on Thursday, Neymar was also quizzed on a potential clash with his former club in Europe's top-tier competition. The PSG man said it wouldn't be something he would particularly relish.

"It would be very difficult for me to face Barca in the Champions League," he said, per the same source. "I speak with almost all the Barca players and still miss them. They are very good friends and they are very good players, so I would be happy to face them in that regard, but not as a club."

Fortunately for Neymar, his current club and his previous one are both in Pot 1 in the draw on Thursday. It means the earliest they could potentially meet is in the knockout stages of the competition.

The comments from the 26-year-old come after Neymar visited Barca's training complex recently. Alfred Martinez of Onda Cero (h/t Barca Universal) shared some of the photos of the Brazilian with some of his ex-team-mates:

Neymar had an inconsistent FIFA World Cup with Brazil, as he mixed moments of brilliance with shows of petulance and poor decision-making. However, since returning to domestic action with PSG he's been able to find a rhythm again.

In the first three games of the Ligue 1 campaign he's netted three times, with a goal in each game against Caen, Guingamp and Angers. The linkup that was so promising last term between himself, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe appears to be there again early in 2018-19 too:

While Neymar doesn't appear too enthused by the prospect of going up against Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez on the European stage this season, it's something that neutral football supporters would be intrigued to see.

Barcelona and PSG will both be hoping for better campaigns in the Champions League this season after winning their respective league titles last term. In 2017-18 PSG were knocked out by Real Madrid in the last 16, while Barcelona were dumped out in dramatic fashion by Roma in the quarter-finals.