Barcelona’s deal for PSG superstar in 2018 collapsed at the last minute – Fabrizio Romano

Ever since Neymar left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain back in the summer of 2017 in a world-record deal worth €222 million, a return to Camp Nou has constantly been mooted.

The Brazilian international arrived at Barça from Santos back in 2013 and enjoyed a successful four-year stint at Camp Nou, forming one of the most fearsome attacking trios with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

He went on to feature 186 times for the Blaugrana and contributed with 105 goals and 76 assists, winning two La Liga titles and a UEFA Champions League crown in the process.

So, when he decided to leave Camp Nou suddenly in 2017 for PSG, it came as a major shock. However, ever since he has moved to Paris, Neymar has been constantly linked with a return to Barcelona.

Now, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that the Catalan giants were indeed close to re-signing the 30-year-old at one point. The Italian transfer expert has claimed that Barcelona had a deal almost finalised to bring Neymar back to the club in the summer of 2018 but it collapsed in the last minute.

The club ended up signing Neymar’s compatriot, Malcom, in the summer of that year, which proved to be a dud. Next year, they splashed the cash heavily on Antoine Griezmann, but the Frenchman also endured a difficult spell at Camp Nou and is back at Atletico Madrid now.

As for Neymar, he has enjoyed domestic success in France but has failed to lead them to the Champions League triumph as of yet.

But the Brazilian was reunited with Messi last year, with the former Barcelona captain joining PSG on a free transfer. Whether the pair can achieve success on the continental stage this season remains to be seen.