Why Neymar’s Return Looks Unlikely With A New President Soon To Take Over Barcelona

FC Barcelona’s presidential candidate Victor Font has revealed Neymar’s return to Camp Nou is "not in my plans" should he win his election bid.

Font, who has previously stated he wants to bring Pep Guardiola back to the club to reunite the Catalan coach with Lionel Messi, recently spoke to Spanish publication SPORT about his plans for Barcelona if he won the election.

"Institutionally, Neymar's not in my plans. For financial reasons and for other reasons, like the lawsuit he has against the club and the fact he left the club in a tricky position days before the season started [in 2017]. He would fit in on the sporting side but not on the financial or the institutional side of things. But the signings will be in the hands of the sporting directorate, not as they have been made up until now, " Font told SPORT.

Neymar won eight trophies in his decorated four-season stint with Barcelona before joining Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for a world-record fee of $262 million ahead of the 2017-19 campaign. Neymar parted ways with the Catalan club on a bitter note as he has since been involved in a court battle with Barcelona over an alleged breach of contract and unpaid royalty payments.

Even though Neymar has helped PSG win three back-to-back Ligue 1 titles in as many seasons, there have been speculations about his return to Camp Nou. Barcelona failed to secure a move for their former striker at the recently ended summer market as they could not match his hefty transfer fee at PSG amid their financial crisis in the pandemic.

While Barcelona have been without an official chief since Josep Bartomeu resigned at the end of October ahead of an expected vote of no confidence, Font is considered to be a strong favorite to succeed Bartomeu. Barcelona’s presidential election is scheduled to take place next year, on Jan. 24, as per the SPORT report.

On the other hand, it was previously reported that Neymar is keen on signing a new five-year deal with PSG, where he has netted 72 goals in 89 competitive matches.