The defender was giving nothing away as he insists it is up to the Brazilian to let the world know if he wants a move back to the Spanish giants.

Photo by Getty/Goal

Gerard Pique says any news on Neymar’s intention to move back to Barcelonawill have to come from the Paris Saint-Germain star himself rather than his former team-mates.

The Brazilian has been consistently linked with a move back to the Spanish giants this summer, with Brazil star Neymar keen to leave Paris just two years on from his world-record €222 million (£200m/$249m) move from Barca.

The Catalans remain the frontrunners to land their former star, and the latest reports have suggested they could try to strike a loan deal including the option to buy next summer as the club looks to offset the cost without having to offload first-team players.

At the presentation of new signing Junior Firpo on Sunday, club president Josep Maria Bartomeu said more arrivals could be on the way between now and the end of the Spanish transfer window on September 2, leading many to believe he was hinting at a move for the 27-year-old.

Jordi Cardoner, the vice president of the La Liga champions, tried to downplay the links, saying that a move for Neymar was “ruled out” at this time.

And while Barcelona have made it clear that they believe Neymar is unhappy with PSG, Pique says his friends on the Spanish side will not be offering any private information about his intentions of making another move.

“Of course I talk to him, but he has to be the one to speak out,” Pique told a press conference ahead of Barca’s friendly with Napoli.

“We have private conversations and I don’t think it’s correct to talk about them here.

“He’s a star on and off the pitch. We hope something will happen.

“He is a great player, who knows the dressing room, the city and the club.

“I am convinced that there are many people [at the club] who were very happy with his output.

“I know that it would be a very complicated operation, that he plays for PSG and that we have a great squad that can challenge for every trophy.

“You already know about my relationship with Ney and we would be happy to have him here [but] he plays for PSG and my opinion doesn’t change anything.”

Neymar watched from the stands as Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria scored to help PSG come from behind to beat Rennes 2-1, claiming the Trophee des Champions in Shenzhen on Saturday.

While he did not play, the attacker was seen laughing and joking with team-mates after being pulled into the on-pitch celebrations by Marco Verratti.

Neymar was slow to return to training following ankle injury sustained in Brazil’s friendly win over Qatar in June, which saw him miss their Copa America triumph on home soil, with the Brazilian having only started his preparations for the new season last week.

Source – Goal.com