Despite FC Barcelona reportedly trying to sign wantaway Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar in the latest transfer window, the Spanish giants could turn their backs on the Brazilian, although this could potentially upset captain Lionel Messi.
The 27-year-old went close to returning to the Catalan club in August, or at least that is what is generally thought. Neymar made his intentions clear to PSG: he wanted out, he wanted to return to the city of Barcelona.
The forward, however, did not get his wish as the LaLiga champions were unable to afford his services after already securing Antoine Griezmann's signature from Atletico Madrid.
Messi, Luis Suarez and a few other senior members publicly spoke of Neymar's potential return like they had inside knowledge of the situation, but reports that followed the debacle suggested that Barca might not have tried as hard as it appeared to get the deal done, and that their efforts to sign him were faked to appease those players who wanted to see the Brazilian return to the Camp Nou.
The club's captain himself admitted during an interview with Sport that he was not sure if the Blaugrana leadership really tried to bring Neymar back in the most recent window, comments that seemed to hint he was frustrated with the board.
During the transfer saga, a new star was born in the form of 16-year-old Guinea-Bissau-born winger Ansu Fati, who made his senior debut in August. The youngster then scored on the last day of the window, before shining in a LaLiga match against Valencia just two weeks later.
There are now reports in Spain suggesting that Fati's rise could mean the Catalan club decides against targeting Neymar again, especially considering the controversial circumstances under which he left. The PSG man fought his way out of the club, and even took Barca to court once his transfer was complete.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the Spanish giants are also concerned about Neymar's injury record after the Brazilian was ruled out for another four weeks after sustaining a hamstring injury in the latest international break while on duty with the Selecao. Fati, who has looked most comfortable on the left side of attack, would also have limited playing time with Neymar back in the team.
It has been suggested that Barca are more interested in signing an alternative to striker Suarez, who, despite some wonderful goals of late, has lost a yard of pace and has become less effective outside the penalty area.
Neymar's return would also cost the Blaugrana an arm and a leg, and the club might therefore see preparing Fati for a more prominent role in the senior team as the more logical option, especially considering they have a host of top talents – Griezmann, Carles Perez, Ousmane Dembele, Messi and Suarez – as options going forward.
