Marco Verratti Hints at Neymar PSG Exit Amid Transfer Rumours

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has said the club "must not keep a player who wants to leave" amid rumours Neymar is chasing an exit from the Parc des Princes. 

Neymar, 27, has been linked with a return to Barcelona for the majority of his stay in Paris. It was reported in June he had even texted his former Camp Nou team-mates to inform them he was returning to Catalonia.

Verratti has explained what course he thinks the club should take when a player wants to leave, though he told RMC Sport (h/t Goal's James Westwood) his ideal option would be for Neymar to stay:

"When a player really wants to leave, the club must let him go, according to the conditions set by the club, of course.

"But you must not keep a player who wants to leave. Of course, I would be disappointed to see him go.

"I never heard him say that he wanted to leave, after I don't know what he told the club. But personally, of course, I prefer to see him stay."

Neymar is about to enter his third season as a PSG player, having scored 51 goals in 58 appearances for the club thus far.

Manager Thomas Tuchel confirmed earlier in July that he knew the €200 million signing wanted to leave PSG prior to the 2019 Copa America, which kicked off on June 14. He responded to questions over his player's future more recently and appeared calm over the matter, via Goal:

Verratti has previously been linked with the PSG exit and said he turned down a transfer to Barcelona in 2017. 

However, the Italian has enjoyed consistent performances when fit since then. Analyst Ted Knutson recently highlighted Verratti as one of the most well-balanced midfielders in football:

Per Westwood, Neymar's attitude has at times been a cause for concern at PSG, while his average of 29 appearances per season so far isn't the kind of return the board will have wanted. He also courted criticism for hitting a fan who was taunting him following the Coupe de France final defeat to Rennes.

The Brazil forward has been plagued by a recurring foot injury for much of his stay, limiting him to just four Ligue 1 appearances in 2019.

La Liga expert Graham Hunter recently pointed to Gareth Bale's current situation at Real Madrid as a potential avenue for Neymar to return to Spain, via Eleven Sports:

The Ligue 1 summer transfer window doesn't close until September 2, giving PSG a little more than one month to find a replacement for Neymar while securing an adequate fee—should they decide to sell.

Verratti's comments suggest he believes the cons of having a player who doesn't want to be at the club outweigh any pros, though his employers may not agree.