According to RMC Sport, FC Barcelona have officially approached PSG in pursuit of Neymar. This was made possible thanks to Lionel Messi’s recommendation to re-sign the Brazilian international instead of signing Antoine Griezmann this summer.
However, the report also claims that Barcelona have been issued a hands-off warning by PSG president Nasser bin Ghanim Al-Khelaifi, who iterated that their attacking superstar is not up for sale. But, in any case, will the return of Neymar solve Barcelona’s attacking woes next season?
Barcelona’s struggles with new signings
Since Neymar’s departure, Barcelona have appeared inconsistent with their transfer market dealings, especially in the attacking department. Last summer, the Catalans signed Malcom, who ended up featuring in just over 600 minutes of league football during the 2018/19 campaign.
Even in the 2017/18 campaign, both of Barcelona’s big money signings in Ousmane Dembele and Philipe Coutinho are yet to make a notable impact at Camp Nou. While Dembele has shown promising signs, his progress at Catalonia has been marred by injuries. As for Coutinho, he has been largely overshadowed by the presence of both Luis Suarez and Messi. He also played in a little over 2000 minutes of league football this term.
Hence, it’s quite evident that Barcelona have struggled to find a proper replacement for Neymar and given the Brazilian’s previous exposure of playing at Nou Camp, he is better suited to thrive alongside the likes of Messi and Suarez than these three players.
Where will Neymar fit in?
Neymar’s return to Barcelona will see the revival of the revered offensive trifecta of “MSN” consisting of Messi, Suarez and Neymar. That means both Messi and Neymar can operate on the flanks, with Suarez leading the line.
However, the Uruguayan international has already shown signs of deterioration and has struggled with injuries in the past 12 months. And at the age of 32, he can’t be considered as a reliable long-term attacking option for Barcelona.
And that could complicate things given the fact that the Catalans have also struggled to find a reliable back-up for the ex-Liverpool striker.
For Neymar, however, he will be a guaranteed starter in the left-wing slot. At the age of 27, it can be presumed that he is at the peak of his career. And with Messi slowly entering the final phase of his career, the Brazilian could take on the mantle of becoming Barcelona’s weapon-in-chief within the coming years – something he had been craving for during his time at Catalonia.
