Luis Suarez Says Neymar 'Did Everything Possible' to Return to Barcelona

Barcelona forward Luis Suarez believes Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar "did everything possible" to return to Spain this summer.

The Uruguay international spoke to Fox Sports Radio (h/t Goal's Jamie Smith) and said he and his team-mates warned the Brazilian he would regret leaving the club: "We talked about it at the time. We told him that there would be no place better than at Barcelona. But it's his decision and he chose that. Now, he did everything possible to return."

Per the report, Barcelona made several offers to bring him back this summer, while rivals Real Madrid were also interested. Neymar was said to be so desperate to return, he offered €20 million of his own money to make the move happen.

A transfer never materialised, however, and Neymar joined the group of big-name players strongly linked with a move this summer who ended up staying put, per ESPN FC's Gabriele Marcotti:

Bleacher Report's Dean Jones took a closer look at the summer-long saga, noting Neymar never publicly stated his desire to return, and that may have cost him a transfer.

The 27-year-old turned out for Barcelona between 2013 and 2017, achieving his biggest club successes at the Camp Nou. He won the UEFA Champions League and two La Liga titles as part of a sensational attacking trident, along with Suarez and Lionel Messi.

Neymar became the world's most expensive player in 2017, when he moved to Ligue 1 for €222 million. On the pitch, he has been effective when fit, scoring 34 goals across two Ligue 1 campaigns.

Here are his highlights from the first year in Paris:

Injuries have been a major issue during the past two years, however, and Neymar has not been happy with life in the French capital, per Jones. PSG were also believed to be open to a deal, and they may have armed themselves for a future transfer by signing Mauro Icardi from Inter Milan in the summer.

Per Inter's official website, Les Parisiens secured an option to make Icardi's loan move permanent.

According to Jones, the transfer saga is likely to continue this season and next summer.

Barcelona may not be so keen on a reunion by then, however, if new signing Antoine Griezmann enjoys a stellar season.

The France international is still settling in but has two goals in three La Liga matches. Once Messi returns from injury―he has yet to play a minute of club football this season―he'll have the chance to show he fits well alongside the club legend, forming a new all-star trio with Suarez.