Confidential: Desperate attempt by the squad to stop Neymar leaving

The dressing rooms is making one last desperate effort to convince Neymar not to accept PSG’s offer and to stay at Barcelona. The players do not want the Brazilian, who they have shared a dressing room with for four years, to leave and are trying to stop the deal.

Luis Suárez was the first to talk to the Brazilian on the plane to the US, and since the squad’s arrival the rest of the squad have taken turns to try to convince the player to stay in Barcelona. They have shown him the esteem he is held in and the affection the squad has for the player. They have tried to make him see that in terms of football he is better off at Barça than in the French league.

Nevertheless, Neymar has been quiet since he returned to training and his team mates don’t get the impression that the talks are changing his mind.

THE CLUB’S POSITION

For its part, the club seems to have given up trying to stop Neymar leaving, perhaps aware that the €222 million would be very useful in the club’s coffers, for Espai Barça, but mainly to strengthen to the team. This approach contrasts with that of the players, who are trying to show Neymar how much he would be missed on and off the pitch.

Maybe due to the effect of losing such a high quality player, maybe out of solidarity or perhaps sorrow, the players are disappointed that the club could lose such a top quality player and that is unable to convince the player.

At the same time, they have noticed the loss of credibility some of the club’s hierarchy are facing since SPORT first announced Neymar was listening to offers. Directors such as Jordi Mestre and Jordi Cardoner flatly denied the reports, but time has shown them to be correct. And this is something the squad has noted

While the Barça squad are trying to convince the player to stay, his international team mates at PSG are also trying to convince him to follow through with his initial idea and join them in France.