Lionel Messi is still keen for Barcelona to re-sign Neymar during this summer's transfer window.
The Brazil international was strongly linked with a return to Camp Nou ahead of the 2019-20 campaign, but the Spanish champions were unable to come to an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain over a transfer fee.
Talk of a return to Catalonia has quietened in recent months, but Messi has revealed that he would "love" his fellow South American to arrive at Camp Nou at the end of the season.
"Neymar is one of the best in the world and I'd love him to come back. He is a very happy person who is always smiling and enjoys himself on and off the pitch. He gave all the players a lift," Messi told Mundo Deportivo.
"It's normal for the fans to feel [resentment about his possible return] because of the way he left, and that also bothered me at the time because we tried to do everything possible to try to convince him not to do it.
"At the end of the day, we all want to win. We all want to have the best and that goes for the fans, who want to see good football and success.
"I think Neymar really wants to come back. He's sorry about what he did and last year he tried hard to come back. I think that [apologising] would be the first step he would take to try to make it happen."
Neymar, who turned out for Barca between 2013 and 2017, has been in impressive form for PSG this season, scoring 16 times and contributing 10 assists in 19 appearances.
Matt Law
