FC Barcelona have come to a point in the summer transfer window where they must look to finalize the arrival of reinforcements if they look to compete in the upcoming 2023/2024 season with a squad under Xavi Hernandez that is capable of doing well for a whole season without disruption.
One of the priority targets over the course of the summer for Barcelona was Brazilian superstar Neymar Jr, with the 31-year-old contracted to French club Paris Saint-Germain while the Catalan club attempted to persuade and sway him away from his Parisian home.
However, the move would fail to materialize both due to economic hurdles as well as sporting disagreements within Barcelona regarding his arrival, namely the reluctance of head coach Xavi Hernandez who did not believe his return would be in the best interests of the club.
Now, as the player’s move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal seems imminent, a new update provided by Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano suggests that the Brazilian superstar himself was reluctant to rejoin FC Barcelona this summer as he had his own contentions against Xavi Hernandez as the coach.
As per the Italian journalist, Neymar Jr made it clear during certain conversations and talks that he was not willing to make a return to FC Barcelona while Xavi remained at the head of the managerial seat.
Consequently, this sparks further debate as to what sort of bad blood potentially may exist between the current Barcelona coach and the former player of the Catalan club.
As it stands, however, the ship for Barcelona and Neymar Jr reuniting has already sailed away. The 31-year-old is set to join Al-Hilal for two years as per several reports and his medicals are to be completed soon as well, with Al-Hilal being rumored to have paid PSG a figure less than but close to €100 million to seal the Brazilian star’s arrival.
