Details emerge on why Pep Guardiola turned down chance to sign Neymar in swap deal

• Neymar has reportedly been made available for a transfer by Paris Saint Germain this summer
• Manchester City looked like his most likely destination, especially with the departures of Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling
• However, City are unwilling to initiate talks of a transfer, with Guardiola reportedly happy with the attacking talent at his disposal

Manchester City have reportedly turned down the chance to sign Paris Saint Germain superstar Neymar in a sensational swap deal that would have seen Bernardo Silva go the other way.

Despite preseason kicking off and the new campaign only weeks away, there is still speculation surrounding the future of Neymar in the French capital.

Initial reports suggested Neymar had been transfer-listed, with PSG willing to part ways with the Brazilian to free up their wage bill to some extent.

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This was especially motivated by the fact that the French giants managed to convince Kylian Mbappe to sign a contract extension at the club.

According to Le Parisien, Neymar had been offered to Manchester City , but the Premier League champions declined the chance to spark off negotiations in the first place.

Guardiola is said to be content with his current attacking squad, despite the departures of Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus.

Also, the Spaniard is reluctant to destabilize the fluidity of his attack by adding a player of Neymar’s caliber.

What Guardiola previously said about Neymar

In April, Guardiola made some interesting comments about Neymar which can shed more light on why he turned down the chance to sign the Brazilian.

Guardiola believes Barcelona is the best place for Neymar and the star would have achieved a lot had he stayed with the Catalan club.

“If Neymar had stayed at Barcelona, they would have won two or three Champions League more. Him, [Lionel] Messi and [Luis] Suarez were the best up front. He makes football a pleasure.” Pep said in April

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Cristiano’s biggest hurdle in Atletico transfer

Meanwhile, Sports Brief reported that Cristiano Ronaldo is highly likely to stay at Manchester United next season, after a potential move to Atletico Madrid hit a snag.

Marca reports that while talks progressed well between Ronaldo’s representatives and Atletico Madrid, the Spanish club cannot ‘afford him’.