Barcelona’s sensational bid to land Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain looks close to collapsing after the club’s vice president claimed they were in no position to re-sign the forward.
Neymar joined PSG two years ago from Barca in a world record £200million move but the Brazil star has since grown unhappy at life in the French capital and is desperate for a return to La Liga.
Barcelona have always been keen to bring the forward back to Spain, with reports over the weekend suggesting they were ready to swoop with a loan deal and an option to buy next summer.
However, vice president Jordi Cardoner has claimed that they are in no such position and that they are not even in talks with the French champions, going on to state that they could only act once Neymar and PSG managed to find a solution to their differences.
‘As of today, t here’s no Neymar case, and it’s complicated,’ he told TV3.
‘We are passive actors. We know he’s not happy in Paris and it’s a situation that needs to be resolved in Paris.
‘We haven’t spoken to them. There is a lot of respect between the clubs and if there is a Neymar case one day, we’ll talk. Today, at this time, it’s ruled out.’
Cardoner’s words come just days after the club president Josep Maria Bartomeu hinted there could be more signings on the way before the September 2 transfer deadline in Spain.
Neymar was present to watch his team-mates on Saturday as they came from behind to defeat Rennes 2-1 in the Trophee des Champions in Shenzhen.
Kylian Mbappe and Angel di Maria were on target for the French champions, with the after match celebrations seeing Neymar laughing as he was pulled onto the pitch by Marco Verratti.