Neymar will always be an option for Barcelona – Abidal

Bringing Neymar back to Catalunya from Paris Saint Germain “will always be an option” for Barcelona, according to Eric Abidal.

Neymar enjoyed a hugely successful spell at Camp Nou between 2013 and 2017, winning eight trophies in total, including two La Liga titles and the Champions League.

The 27-year-old formed one-third of a fearsome attacking trident alongside Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi at Barca, but a desire to step out of the latter’s shadow led to his eventual departure.

In the summer of 2017, Neymar completed a world-record £200 million ($258m) move to PSG, signing a five-year contract with the French giants.

Unfortunately, the Brazil international’s time at Parc des Prince has been overshadowed by disciplinary issues on the pitch and persistent injury problems off it, leading to plenty of speculation over his future.

Neymar sought a return to Barca during the summer transfer window, expressing regret over his initial decision to leave the club , but the Spanish champions were unable to negotiate a final fee with PSG.

Despite that, Barca’s sporting director Abidal insists that the door is always open for the mercurial winger to come back to Camp Nou, especially if he can rediscover his best form between now and May.

Abidal told Mundo Deportivo  when asked about the former Santos forward: “A top player, who has a Barca philosophy and who is performing at a high level, will always be an option. 

“From there, at the sports level we can make decisions, but the whole financial issue, there are things that you can reach and others that you cannot. 

“The future will say. If it continues at this level, because the season is very long, I will not say that it will be option number 1 but it can be a clear option.”

Neymar has been out of action with a thigh injury since October, but PSG are hopeful he can make a return to action after the international break.

The reigning Ligue 1 champions are due to host Lille on November 22, before taking in a trip to Santiago Bernabeu to face Real Madrid in a Champions League group stage fixture four days later.

Neymar put a summer of speculation behind him to emerge as a key member of Thomas Tuchel’s line up once again at the start of the season .

The Brazilian contributed four goals in five domestic outings upon his return to the PSG fold, but his progress was stalled after sustaining another injury while away on international duty.