Neymar’s father has dismissed speculation that there has been contact with Barcelona over a potential return to the La Liga club.
The Brazilian left Barca for Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 for a world-record €222million transfer fee, but has been dogged by rumours that he has had second thoughts about the move almost since the time he joined the Ligue 1 side.
Both Barcelona and Real Madrid have been linked with moves for the 27-year-old, but Neymar Sr insists that “the future is in Paris” for his son.
“Barca are a huge club, we were very happy over there,” he told French TV network TF1 on Sunday. “It’s impossible to leave a player like him out of these (transfer market) rumours. But it’s a lie, there hasn’t been a call with Barca.”
“There are two people who speak for Neymar: himself and me. Neither of us has spoken about this intention to return to Barcelona.
“These rumours amuse us a lot. These journalists are funny. The future is in Paris, the present is in Paris.”
Last month, Neymar Sr had called a report from Spanish media claiming that he had begged Barcelona to re-sign his son as “fake news” on social media.
Neymar, meanwhile, is recovering from a metatarsal injury that has ruled him out since January, and though he will miss the second leg of PSG’s Champions League round of 16 tie against Manchester United, he should be fit for the quarter-finals if the Parisians advance, with the side holding a 2-0 league from the first leg.
His father believes Neymar needs to be better protected by the referees, with the player having suffered a similar injury last season as well.
“It’s not the French league that is the problem, it’s the referees who must protect the players,” he said.
“If fouls aren’t whistled, if unsporting behaviour goes unpunished… that’s the problem.”
