Neymar Denies Rumors of Returning to Barcelona: “Terrible Fake News”
On August 27, striker Neymar officially denied the information that caused a stir online that he had asked to return to Barcelona but was rejected. Neymar’s representative issued a strong statement, criticizing the articles about his desire to return to Barcelona from Al Hilal as “lies and terrible fakes.” The statement emphasized the lack of respect for Al Hilal and Neymar himself, affirming that the player is very satisfied with life in Riyadh and is about to return to the pitch to dedicate himself to the fans.
This rumor stems from shocking information published by Globoesporte (Brazil), claiming that Neymar has secretly offered to return to Barcelona on a free transfer to support the Catalan team in the 2024 – 2025 season. The information is even more surprising when it is said that Barcelona has flatly rejected the offer of Neymar, who is currently recovering from an injury.
Neymar had a successful time playing for Barcelona from 2013 to 2017, where he won 2 La Liga championships, 1 Champions League championship, and many other titles such as the King’s Cup, Spanish Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. After moving to PSG in August 2017 for a world record fee of €222 million, Neymar continued to enjoy success before moving to Al Hilal in the summer of 2023.
Neymar is actively training to return to play for Al Hilal Club.
At Al Hilal, Neymar signed a two-year contract with an income of more than €150 million per year from salary, bonuses and commercial contracts. The news that he gave up his high income to return to Barcelona shocked not only the player himself but also his fans. Neymar is currently actively recovering from surgery on a torn anterior cruciate ligament and is expected to return to competition after the FIFA Days in September. He will continue to be absent from the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with the Brazilian team.
Neymar has been training hard for many months.
Meanwhile, despite the presence of Neymar, Al Hilal had an impressive season with a treble, including the Saudi Pro League, King’s Cup and Saudi Arabian Super Cup. At the start of the 2024-2025 season, the team continued their excellent form with a 4-1 victory over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in the Saudi Super Cup, while also leading the Saudi Pro League after a 3-0 win over Al Okhdood.
