Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has something to clarify: negotiations with the club for Neymar have not made any progress at all. Neither Real Madrid or Barcelona have been able to sweeten the deal for the French club.
"There are negotiations with clubs, as everyone knows. But nothing has advanced," Leonardo told RMC Sport.
Neymar has been heavily linked with both Barcelona and Real Madrid, though reports imply that PSG seems to be more in favor of Barcelona. The Brazilian's goal is to rejoin his former club, Barca, but he's not exactly "against the idea" of making a move to Real Madrid, according to Joaquim Piera and Lluis Miguelsanz of Sport.
Earlier this week, news outlets have reported that Neymar had been excluded from the PSG training squad until a decision over his future has been made, but Leonardo has denied this.
As for Neymar, he has said before that he wants to leave PSG this summer, and though that may seem likely the case, it is not clear where he will end up.
Barca has already spent 120 million euros in signing Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid. He joins a solid attack lineup along with Ousmane Dembele, Luis Suarez, and Lionel Messi. But the Catalan club is still considering to add Philippe Coutinho and Ivan Rakitic in a deal to bring Neymar back.
What PSG want, however, is a deal that includes Nelson Semedo, according to a report by Guillem Balague. In Friday's pre-match press conference, Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde was asked about Neymar's future with the club, but he told reporters that he wasn't involved in the negotiations.
"I'm not involved in all these issues," Valverde said. "I focus on the team and the players I have. I am happy with my squad. I have respect for other players and for other teams. He's a PSG player and we will see, but I can't tell you anything about that."
Meanwhile, Real Madrid have also been keeping themselves busy dealing with PSG to get Neymar. The Spanish club hopes to land the Brazilian ahead of Barca, despite already having Ferland Mendy, Eden Hazard, and Luka Jovic on the team.
As for the supporters of PSG, they have made it clear they don't want Neymar in the club. This means there is no place for the 26-year-old, that much is clear. What we should watch out for now is the battle between Barca and Real, whether which of them wins Neymar in the end.
