Barcelona Sporting Director Javier Bordas: Neymar Transfer 'Closer' After Talks
August 27, 2019
Neymar is "closer" to completing a transfer from Paris Saint-Germain to Barcelona, according to the latter's sporting director Javier Bordas.
The Brazil international's future has been a hot topic throughout the summer, with speculation linking him with a switch back to the Camp Nou, two years on from his world-record move to the French capital.
Per Ben Hayward of the Evening Standard, Bordas returned from Paris on Tuesday after holding discussions with PSG and told reporters progress has been made.
"There's still no agreement," he said. "We are negotiating and we are closer, but I can't say anything more."
Santi Gimenez of AS said Bordas was asked whether the negotiations with PSG were regarding money, to which the sporting director said, "Yes, of course."
PSG sporting director Leonardo said that "we will talk with calm" when it comes to a possible deal for the player, per Sport.
Per Gimenez, in addition to Bordas, Barcelona chief executive Oscar Grau and technical secretary Eric Abidal were part of the travelling party to France. Neymar's agent Andre Cury is also said to be in Paris as negotiations continue.
Gerard Romero of RAC1 shared footage of Bordas being interviewed outside the airport upon landing in Barcelona:
As relayed by B/R Football, recent reports from France have suggested PSG want Barcelona to include Ousmane Dembele and Nelson Semedo in any potential package for the player:
With the transfer window for Spanish clubs set to close on 2 September, it's not a surprise that talk over Neymar's future is beginning to intensify.
While the forward has excelled for PSG, his time in Paris has been blemished by injury problems. In both of his campaigns at the club, he picked up issues at critical times, missing key UEFA Champions League matches that saw the team eliminated.
Per WhoScored.com, despite only starting 16 games in the French top flight last season, his creative numbers were outstanding:
In total, Neymar scored 15 goals and laid on seven assists for team-mates in Ligue 1 last term, so there's little doubt he would be a loss from a purely footballing perspective.
However, PSG seem open to doing a deal with Barcelona for the right price. Neymar would also surely relish the chance to link up with the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez again, not to mention new Blaugrana signing Antoine Griezmann.