Messi Would Have “Loved” Neymar to Re-join Barca

Leo Messi has spoken of his feeelings that Neymar (27) won’t be joining him at Barcelona this season, saying he would have “loved” Neymar’s return and that his arrival would have, “increased our chances of reaching our objectives.”

Messi told Spanish newspaper Sport, “He [Neymar] was desperate to come back,” and went on to say, “I don’t know if the club really tried or not.”

Neymar scored 105 goals in 186 games for the Catalan giants over four seasons before claiming 51 in 58 for Paris St Germain over the next two.

But Messi denied the Barca players asked the club to sign Neymar.

“We gave our opinions of whether it would be good if he came or not but we never said they had to sign him.”

The Argentinian also claims not to be disappointed the Brazilian won’t again be his team-mate adding, “Barcelona has a spectacular squad and can achieve everything without him.”
Meanwhile it is expected that Neymar will make his first appearance of the season for PSG this weekend against Strasbourg. But what sort of reaction will be afforded the want-away Brazilian?

It’s not like he has been low-key in expressing his desires to leave Paris for Barcelona in particular, and fans of the Parisian club have already displayed at least one banner stating ‘Neymar Go Away’.

Perhaps PSG fans and their star player can be reconciled with the understanding of ‘one more year’, but if Neymar fails to produce spectacular performances, that is unlikely to manifest or last long, even when the club is winning.

There’s a strange dynamic forming at the Paris club, with Argentinian striker Mauro Icardi (26) also rumoured to be less than happy about his season-long loan move to the French capital.

Photo by Claudio Villa - Inter/Inter via Getty Images

The 26-year-old’s wife and agent, Wanda Nara does television in Italy and did not want to leave said BBC Italian football expert, James Hardcastle. So, he’s left her and his family behind in Milan.

Icardi tried to persuade Inter boss, Antonio Conte, he had a future at the San Siro, but the former Chelsea and Italian national team boss wasn’t one for being swayed.

Inter were not impressed at repeated criticisms of players and coaching, by Icardi’s wife during her TV appearances throughout last season.

Horncastle understandably claims, “Conte didn’t want any part of that. It doesn’t matter how good the player is, he didn’t want him.”