Barcelona sporting director Eric Abidal insists no door is closed to the return of PSG star Neymar.
The Brazilian was the club’s primary target in the summer, but the two parties couldn’t reach a deal over his return to Spanish soil.
“At the sporting level, there is no doubt that he is a player that you have to sign, because there are no players like him on the market,” Abidal told Sport.
“The player’s clear desire was to return to Barcelona, but another thing is the economic issue and how far the club [can stretch].
“We started to negotiate and we saw from the beginning that the price was not what the player was really worth.”
Abidal went on to confirm that the Barcelona players vouched for Neymar’s comeback.
“The dressing room can ask for him because they already knew him,” Abidal added.
“They knew he has a lot of talent and that at Barcelona he had performed very well.
“He knows the philosophy and the team and there was no need for adaptation.
“Players can also ask for Frenkie de Jong, because he’s a top player. They ask for the best.
“We don’t talk to the dressing room to ask them who they want, but we have in mind the kind of football player who can come.
“We went to France because the operation could be done, and, in the end, it was a matter of numbers.”
The former Barcelona defender also acknowledged that it was Neymar’s father who urged the Catalans to enter into talks with PSG.
“I spoke to his father, who is his agent,” Abidal noted.
“He told me that he wanted to come and wanted us to try to make it happen.
“At the sporting level, I told him that [we could do it] 200 percent, but the economic issue was already beyond me.
“We always follow up on top players. How fit they are and how their season is going.”
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