Neymar Returning to Barcelona 'Will Always Be an Option,' Says Eric Abidal

Barcelona director Eric Abidal hasn't closed the door on a return of star forward Neymar, saying his knowledge of the club philosophy means he will always be an option.

Abidal told Mundo Deportivo the Catalans will never rule out signing top players who fit the club (h/t Goal's James Westwood):

"A top player, who has a Barca philosophy and who is performing at a high level, will always be an option.

"From there, at the sports level we can make decisions, but the whole financial issue, there are things that you can reach and others that you cannot.

"The future will say. If it continues at this level, because the season is very long, I will not say that it will be option number one, but it can be a clear option."

Per the report, Neymar was strongly linked with a return to the Camp Nou throughout the summer. The two clubs couldn't come to a financial agreement, but the rumours have persisted.

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The 27-year-old played for Barcelona between 2013 and 2017, winning two La Liga titles and the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League. PSG made him the most expensive player in the world when they signed him in 2017 for €222 million, but the Brazilian hasn't had the desired impact in the French capital.

While he has scored plenty of goals, PSG have failed to make their mark in Europe. Neymar has also missed a lot of games because of injuries and hasn't played for the club since Oct. 5.

When healthy, he remains capable of incredible moments, such as this late winner against Lyon in September:

Barcelona are expected to try to land him again in 2020, although the emergence of Ansu Fati and improved play of Ousmane Dembele means they have less of a need for another forward than they did in the summer.

PSG have barely missed him since he went down with his most recent injury, winning all but one of their matches. Their demands will likely once again be astronomical, but Les Parisiens have to be confident they can adequately replace him, either with a transfer or an in-house option.

Kylian Mbappe has been their top forward since joining from AS Monaco, and both Pablo Sarabia and Mauro Icardi have settled in nicely since the summer transfer window.