BARCELONA
Why Xavi is not interested in having Neymar at FC Barcelona
Only a phone call from Xavi could unlock the situation but Barcelona’s priority is the registration of players for the match against Getafe.
Xavi Hernández remains unconvinced about the signing of Neymar. The Blaugrana coach remains firm in his opposition to the arrival of the Brazilian forward, despite the insistence in some sectors of the club to have the PSG player replace Ousmane Dembélé.
Neymar could be used to effect despite his injury record, but the concern is that he could end up being a bad influence on a dressing room full of young players.
Barcelona’s registration problems
There is also another element hindering Neymar’s arrival. The club’s precarious economic situation - with serious problems in registering all of its players on the opening weekend of LaLiga - makes it almost impossible to consider large-scale operations.
There are those at the club who believe he could help the team and encourage fans to go to Montjuïc and there are also those who consider the Brazil international to be a controversial figure.
Xavi’s call
The only one who can unblock the situation is Xavi himself. If the Catalan coach calls Neymar and opens the doors to a Barcelona return, the PSG player would of course be closer to leaving Paris. But Xavi’s priorities are different. He is still waiting to know how many players he will be able to count on for the first game of the season against Getafe, since right now he has only eleven registered players at his disposal.
Once the club has registered the entire squad, there will be time to look a little further ahead and think about reinforcements, where the priorities are still Juan Foyth at right-back and Bernardo Silva as a playmaker.