Barcelona legend Xavi has backed former teammate Neymar to make an astonishing return to the club, three years after he left for Paris Saint-Germain.
The Brazilian forward departed from the Nou Camp for a world record £200m transfer fee in 2017, but has since seen his name consistently linked with a move back to Catalonia.
Barca return for Neymar? Five things to know…
- Neymar spent four seasons with Barca, scoring 105 goals and registering 59 assists in 186 games.
- He lifted two La Liga titles, three Copa del Reys and a Champions League trophy in that time.
- The Brazilian left for PSG in the summer of 2017 for a world record £200m fee.
- He has since been linked with a move back to Barca and Xavi has now endorsed a return for the mercurial marvel.
- The Spaniard was recently in the running for the Barca job before Quique Setien was appointed in January.
Xavi was recently linked with the Barca job after the club severed ties with ex-coach Ernesto Valverde, but the former Spain international turned down the offer as he was cautious it was too soon in his managerial career,
Xavi, who currently holds the reins for Qatari outfit Al Sadd, believes he is now ready to make the step up to a job of Barcelona’s megalithic scale.
He recently suggested Neymar would be one of his transfer targets if he were to take charge in the Camp Nou dugout, and he has now reinstated his position on the Brazilian phenom.
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“Why not? Football-wise I have no doubts and I have lived with him in a locker room and he seems to me a great person,” the Al-Sadd coach told DjMariiO in a YouTube interview.
“He was a professional here in Barcelona and would make a difference.
“Then there is the social, bureaucratic issue. I don’t go there. But on the field he is among the five best in the world.”