Paris Saint-Germain president confirms Barcelona interest in Neymar

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has confirmed that Barcelona tried "very hard" to re-sign Brazilian attacker Neymar.

The ex-Blaugrana player represented the Catalan giants for four years before his record-breaking move to PSG, who recently tied him down to a new long-term deal until 2025.

However, Neymar was persistently linked with a move back to Camp Nou before committing his future to the Catalan giants, and Al-Khelaifi has now claimed that the 29-year-old was never interested in a reunion with Barca.

Speaking to L'Equipe, the PSG president said: "Barcelona tried very hard to sign Neymar. Obviously, we rejected their advances.

"I think they have some financial problems, but that isn't our business. Barcelona have always loved Neymar, and that isn't a secret.

"Neymar didn't want to go there, even though he wasn't completely adapted to PSG or Paris. But if you call him now, he will tell you he is happy at PSG."

Neymar ended an injury-hit 2020-21 season with 17 goals and 11 assists in 31 appearances across all competitions, and he netted Brazil's second goal in their 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Ecuador at the weekend.