The Brazilian reportedly wants out at Paris Saint-Germain but his former club continues to play-down any hope of the deal going through
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu admits to having spoken with Neymar but has dismissed any notion of the Brazilian forward returning to Camp Nou from Paris Saint-Germain.
The 27-year-old has continually linked with a return to the Catalan giants since moving to the French capital for €222 million (£195m/$260m) in 2017.
Goal understand Neymar is unhappy at Parc des Princes and that Barca would be keen on re-signing the superstar.
Bartomeu has previously denied to having had any contact with ex-Santos man and while the club chief has backtracked on those remarks, he remains certain PSG have no intention of selling their prized asset.
“I’ve spoken with Neymar, we’ve seen each other a few times, but his people have never told me he wants to come back,” he told Radio Kanal Barcelona.
“No one’s called us about it. Neymar has a contract with PSG. It’s his second season there and it’s very difficult [to imagine] they want to sell. We didn’t want to.
“We have the disadvantage of the [release] clause here. European clubs [can] take advantage of that. That’s not the case [in France] so it’s not possible for him to return.
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“The club’s taken another path, with Dembele, Coutinho. We have to move on with them. They’re the two biggest investments in the club’s history and we back them 100 percent.”
As Ernesto Valverde’s side attempt to retain the La Liga and Copa del Rey, the club have already begun preparations for next season with the signing of Ajax’s Frenkie de Jong who will arrive at the club in the summer.
The club continue to be linked with bringing in his teammate from the Amsterdam Arena Matthijs de Ligt to cure their defensive woes.
And Bartomeu admitted: “We have followed De Ligt for a while. It’s true he’s a player we like, but Barca also have other important players in the squad.
“We will look at more things from March or April. We’re delighted to watch him play and admire him, but there’s nothing more at the moment.”