Marco Verratti tells PSG to let Neymar go if Barcelona come calling

Marco Verratti

The Brazilian has been linked with a move back to Barcelona this summer, two years after his world record €222 million move from the Camp Nou.

"It's between him and the club," Verratti said to RMC Sport, as reported by Marca.

"Although the club mustn't try to keep a player that realistically wants to leave.

"According to the conditions put in place by the club, of course, but you don't keep a player that wants to leave.

"I'd prefer that Neymar stays with us. I've never heard him say that he wants to leave. But I don't know what he's said to the club.

"It would be disappointing to see him go, but he suffered his latest injury in [Brazil] and went through difficult moments in his personal life."

Verratti himself was linked with a move to Barcelona in 2017 and explained how his stay in Paris came about.

He said: "At the time, I needed explanations from PSG, because I'd seen things that weren't appropriate for a club that wants to win big trophies. Now I'm glad that I stayed."

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Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.