Report: Barca to offer PSG €100M plus Coutinho, Rakitic for Neymar

Negotiations are reportedly underway for a deal that could result in Neymar making a sensational return to Barcelona.

The Catalan club is prepared to offer €100-million, Philippe Coutinho, and Ivan Rakitic in a bid to convince Paris Saint-Germain to part with Neymar, according to Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens of ESPN FC.

Although it’s understood that Coutinho would be welcome at the Parc des Princes, PSG are not interested in Rakitic and will, instead, attempt to persuade Barcelona to include Nelson Semedo.

The two clubs are expected to begin negotiations Tuesday, with director of football Eric Abidal and technical secretary Javier Bordas representing the Blaugrana during discussions. PSG sporting director Leonardo will apparently be present alongside superagent Pini Zahavi, who was pivotal in securing Neymar’s transfer to Les Parisiens in 2017.

PSG rejected Barcelona’s initial offer of €60 million plus Coutinho in July, ESPN FC reports.

Barcelona previously flirted with the idea of reuniting with Neymar – who spent four years at the Camp Nou before his shock move to Paris for €222 million – by reportedly offering a package that only consisted of players. Along with Coutinho, Semedo, and Rakitic, Barca also considered including Ousmane Dembele.

News of Barcelona’s renewed effort to complete a deal comes after Leonardo conceded that negotiations for Neymar’s departure were “more advanced than before.”

Real Madrid have also emerged as a possible landing spot for the Brazilian star, but Los Blancos have apparently struggled to generate the necessary funds to procure his services. Real Madrid would most likely need to sell Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez before the transfer window closes on Sept. 2 in order to pull off the lucrative transfer.

It was reported on Monday that Real Madrid players have joined the recruiting process by contacting Neymar via phone.

Despite Real Madrid’s apparent interest, Neymar prefers a return to the Camp Nou, ESPN FC adds.

Neymar was dropped from PSG’s squad ahead of their season-opening victory over Nimes on Sunday. Manager Thomas Tuchel explained that Neymar’s absence due to the 27-year-old having yet to fully recover from an ankle injury suffered at a Copa America warmup friendly in June.