Eric Abidal has claimed that, while working as director of football at Barcelona, he could have brought Neymar back to Camp Nou in 2019, but the club’s board signed Antoine Griezmann instead.
A return for the Brazilian forward had been mooted for some time prior to the Blaugrana entering into discussions regarding a possible deal with Paris Saint-Germain.
In the end, Griezmann was prised away from domestic rivals Atletico Madrid, but Abidal maintains the South American superstar could have returned.
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What has been said?
Former Barca defender Abidal told The Telegraph: “Ten days before the end of the transfer window, I went to Paris to talk with Leonardo [PSG’s sporting director] and I was with my CEO, and we were talking about Neymar.