According to reports from El Nacional, FC Barcelona has decided against re-signing a "toxic" former player who was once a world-class talent for the team due to his past visits to nightclubs and partying. The player in question is Neymar, who left Camp Nou in 2017 for Paris Saint Germain after the French club activated his €222 million ($249 million) release clause in an effort to move out of Lionel Messi's shadow. Despite his success in Ligue 1, the Brazilian has yet to win the Ballon d'Or for the world's best player or a Champions League title with PSG, finishing as runner-up to Bayern Munich in 2020. Messi has now joined Neymar at Parc des Princes, but with his contract set to expire on June 30, there are rumors of a possible return to FC Barcelona.
According to Fabrizio Romano's report, Messi's camp informed PSG a month ago that they had no plans to renew his contract beyond the specified date. However, when Messi was suspended for an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia this week, PSG became open to the possibility of allowing Neymar to go on loan with a purchase option included in the deal, as reported by Carrusel Deportivo. This has led pundits, including those at SPORT, to speculate about the potential for a second stint for Neymar at FC Barcelona. Despite the speculation, a return for Neymar is financially impossible for the Catalan club, as he is currently ranked fourth on Forbes' list of the World's Highest-Paid Soccer Players for 2022, earning $87 million, $55 million of which comes from on-field earnings, making it out of reach for Barca. Furthermore, the club's president, Joan Laporta, has already ruled out the possibility of the operation.
According to El Nacional, FC Barcelona's president Joan Laporta considers the 31-year-old Neymar to be "toxic" due to his past behavior of organizing parties in Castelldefels and frequenting Barcelona's nightclubs. Laporta is looking to sign a different type of player and would reject Neymar even if coach Xavi Hernandez wanted him. Given this, it's unlikely that PSG would agree to pay most of Neymar's wages and let a European rival have their number '10' for a low price. Therefore, it's probable that Neymar's future lies in the Premier League, with potential suitors being either of the Manchester teams or Newcastle United.
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