Barcelona’: How Current Financial Woes Ruined Any Chance of a Reunion With Al Hilal’s Neymar

• Neymar scored over 100 goals at Barcelona before he secured a big-money move to Ligue 1 in France
• The Brazilian star failed to live up to the hype at Paris Saint-Germain during his six years there
• Barcelona Sporting Director, Deco has explained why a move for Neymar failed to happen despite talks

Barcelona’s financial woes could have scuppered their chances of bringing Neymar back to the club.

The Al-Hilal player was rumoured to be close to a return to the side after he left Paris Saint-Germain in France.

Neymar joined PSG in 2017 for a record fee of €222 million from Barcelona, but his time in the French capital was marred by injuries and fan unhappiness.

As noted by Marca, Neymar then joined Al-Hilal this summer but was linked with a move back to the Catalan side before making the move official.

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Why a move to Barcelona failed

Barcelona’s Sporting Director, Deco has now opened up about the reports, saying there were talks with the manager and club president.

He explained that finances made the deal impossible, 90 MIN noted.

"We have the issue of Financial Fair Play that dictates a lot, but Neymar's situation was never concretely stated. The numbers, we know Neymar had a very high salary, he had offers from clubs in Saudi. It was very difficult to get Neymar back in the current scenario," he stated.

Neymar’s time at Barcelona

Deco added that Neymar was a fantastic player who would have fit in at the club, but there was never really a possibility for his return.

Neymar made 186 appearances for the Blaugrana, as per Transfermarkt, and scored 105 goals for the side. He also notched up 76 assists for the Spanish side.

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Football

Neymar among Ballon d’Or notable snubs

The nominees for the men's Ballon d'Or award for 2023 have been unveiled, and it is noteworthy that two of the most prominent figures in global football have been omitted.

Naturally, the favourites, seven-time recipient Lionel Messi and Manchester City sensation Erling Haaland, are prominently featured among the nominees.

In a surprising turn of events, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar have both been omitted from the official list, Sports Brief reported.