Wagner Ribeiro, the agent and close confidant of Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar, argued it would be easier for his former teammate Lionel Messi to move to PSG than it would be for his client to make the long-awaited return to Barcelona.
“Neymar is happy and I think he will stay at PSG for at least two more years,” Ribeiro told Veja (via Goal.com). “Today, without a doubt, it is easier for Messi to go to PSG than for Neymar to return to Barcelona. Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. I'm serious, you can't doubt Qatar's economic power.”
Neymar's move to Barcelona was one of the hot talking points of the offseason, as rumors of Barca considering an exchange, sending Antoine Griezzman to PSG in exchange for Neymar plus some royalties.
Yet all of that has calmed down now that PSG has won the Ligue 1 title, French League Cup, French Cup, and the SuperCup, and now one win away from its first UEFA Champions League title.
Neymar's stock is as high as it's ever been and Ribeiro clarifies that while he was open to a move months ago, that is no longer the case:
“There was a time when he was sad because of his injuries,” said Ribeiro. “At that time he was open to leaving, to return to Barcelona or going to Real Madrid. Not today, you can see his joy.
“I meet with him: living in the city of light, where everyone wants to stroll around, enjoying French cuisine, living in a beautiful home, with friends and family close by, playing in one of the best clubs, with everything a person needs and likes. What reason would he have to leave PSG today?”
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi is open to leaving Barcelona after an 8-2 dismantling in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals at the feet of Bayern Munich. Messi has been rumored to land with Inter Milan in the Serie A, or with Manchester City in the Premier League, but one can't rule out a reunion with his old running mate in Paris if the Qatar investors can shell out the beefy transfer fee he's bound to command this summer.
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