The Argentine is keen to see the Brazilian return to Camp Nou and add another edge to the Catalans attack
Former Barcelona star Javier Mascherano hopes Paris Saint-Germain‘s Neymar returns to the La Liga champions to play alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
Neymar swapped Barca for PSG in a world-record €222 million transfer in 2017 but the Brazilian superstar has been regularly linked with a Camp Nou comeback.
The 28-year-old forward spent four years at Barca, where he won two La Liga titles and the Champions League among other honours.
Mascherano was team-mates with Neymar when Barca claimed the 2014-15 Champions League trophy via a 3-1 win over Juventus in Berlin and the ex-Argentina captain reflected on that successful night at Olympiastadion.
“The other day, I watched the final in Berlin again and what the three up front created was impressive, Neymar, Suarez and Messi,” Mascherano told RAC1.
“Each of them had a position in the team, the pressure after losing the ball and control. They added a lethal edge to our play.
“I hope Ney returns to Barcelona and they play together. It would be so nice for the club and the fans.”
Barcelona manager Quique Setien recently admitted that though he’s a big fan of Neymar, any re-signing may prove difficult to pull off.
“All the great players, how can I not like them? Neymar is one of them, but as things are, you have to consider what is possible and what is not possible,” Setien told El Larguero.
“We know that these footballers cost a lot of money and that it is not easy to bring them.”
With the La Liga season currently suspended, Setien has also questioned La Liga’s hopes to finish the current season in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic which has hit Spain particularly hard.
“Everyone wants to be ready for when the season starts again, but that cannot happen until the health authorities can guarantee that there will be no problems,” Setien told radio station RAC1.
“I have read the protocol and the reality is I don’t know if it can be carried out as it is written. I think it’s unworkable. I think it’s very difficult logistically.
“The situation is what it is, I don’t know if this means it is ok to give to us the Liga title, I won’t feel like a champion even having a larger lead than when I arrived, when we were equal with Real Madrid.
“This is a very hard situation for everyone and what matters to me is to find a solution ASAP for going out and being able to see others, and helping people who are suffering this situation with more intensity.”
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