A former Paris Saint-Germain star is now said to have turned down the opportunity to reunite with Neymar at Santos.
Neymar has been making headlines in recent days after making a sensational return to his boyhood club, Santos.
The now 33-year-old had his contract with Saudi giants Al Hilal terminated after enduring an injury-ridden stint at the club, which saw him make only seven appearances for the side in one and a half seasons.
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Since his move to Santos on a six-month contract was confirmed, reports suggest that Neymar has requested the club to bring in new players, particularly faces he is familiar with.
Among the potential signings requested by Neymar is his former PSG colleague Leandro Paredes.
According to Italian outlet Sportitalia, Santos have since made an approach to lure Paredes away from his current club, AS Roma.
However, the report claims that the Argentina international is not too keen on a move to Santos and would rather remain at Roma, despite drawing interest from Boca Juniors in his native country.
Meanwhile, Santos president Marcelo Teixeira recently expressed that he would ideally want Neymar to stay at the club beyond his six-month deal.
Speaking to TV Globo, Teixeira said: "We intend for him to participate so the club can achieve results in the six-month project, with the prospect of him staying until the World Cup. The whole project is to make this happen. It is important for him to re-emerge as a great player at home, aiming for the World Cup.
"We have already started producing the possibility of a third uniform and changed the colour. The idea is for it to be blue, something natural for it to happen so that we can carry out the project of Neymar's arrival, which involves a lot of responsibility, to sustain the project.
"Neymar at Santos is an identity that cannot be rejected. If he were to start over at another club, I believe it would be more difficult to reach the brand of a club in Brazil and the world, of Santos' potential, with Neymar. This is a perfect marriage that has everything to work out."
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By Lukhanyo Mtuta
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