Neymar not a target for Barcelona but door kept open for Camp Nou return

Neymar is not a transfer option “on the table at the moment” for Barcelona, claims general manager Pep Segura, but a return to Camp Nou is not being ruled out.

The Brazil international made 186 appearances for the Blaugrana, netting 105 goals, prior to making a record-breaking move to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017.

A second spell in La Liga has been mooted since he departed Catalunya, with Real Madrid being heavily linked with a player who once graced the books of their fiercest rivals.

Talk of a potential retracing of his steps to Barcelona has also been discussed, but that is not an option set to be explored any time soon.

Segura told Cadena Ser of the Neymar rumours: “Neymar is a player who is not on the table at the moment.

“I have already said that no young player that leaves for money will return. We stand by that. But the circumstances with Neymar are totally different.

“We always must evaluate the circumstances of the market and assess what the best moves for us will be in relation to those.”

Neymar has enjoyed a productive spell in France, finding the target 41 times in 46 outings while helping PSG to a domestic treble in his debut campaign.

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He is not the only former Barca star to be impressing elsewhere, though, or the only one to be sparking speculation regarding a possible return.

Thiago Alcantara is a product of the famed La Masia academy system but headed to Bayern Munich in 2013 amid fierce competition for first-team places.

The 27-year-old Spain international has emerged as another mooted target for Barca, and Segura will not be shutting that transfer door either.

He added: “Thiago Alcantara? He left us as a professional footballer, so he enters the same parameters as Neymar and he could also return if that is what is requested.”

Barca have been busy in recent windows acquiring attacking talent, such as Malcom, Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho, but further moves could be made to land proven performers if the opportunity presents itself.