Barcelona have reportedly decided to rule out signing Neymar in the summer transfer window and instead turn their attention to signing Lautaro Martinez from Inter and work on offering Lionel Messi a new contract.
Neymar has been linked with a return to the Camp Nou throughout the summer, with the Blaugrana said to be interested in landing the player they sold to Paris Saint-Germain for a world-record £198 million fee two years ago.
But now, according to Catalunya Radio, Barcelona have ruled out any summer bidding to re-sign the Paris Saint-Germain star.
The economic impact on the club due to the coronavirus pandemic has moved the Neymar talks out of the question for the upcoming transfer window as they rightfully feel that their priority lies elsewhere.
The LaLiga giants don’t yet know the full scale of the financial hit they will take from the coronavirus pandemic but are aware it will affect their summer transfer plans. Barca’s priorities are bringing in Lautaro as a replacement for Luis Suarez and extending Messi’s contract that currently expires in 2021.
The Spanish champions would also like to renew goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen but have no agreement with the Germany international just yet.
While Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud and Arsenal’s Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, have been previously linked with the Catalans, and remain available for a possible move this summer, fan-favourite Timo Werner could be the perfect option for Barca.
