Neymar was involved in a heated training ground altercation with a Barcelona team-mate as his world record transfer to Paris Saint-Germain appears to edge closer.
The Brazilian clashed with Barça’s new signing Nélson Semedo in Miami on Thursday before the pair had to be kept apart by defender Javier Mascherano and midfielder Sergio Busquets. Video footage showed Neymar removing his bib before storming off towards the changing rooms.
PSG remain confident of signing the 25-year-old having held talks with Barcelona officials last week over the structure of the proposed deal, which will see Unai Emery’s side pay his €222m (£196m) release clause.
In an interview with the New York Times, the Barcelona president, Josep Bartomeu, admitted he is powerless to stop the striker.
“Neymar is one of our best players and so we don’t want to lose that player,” he said. “We want him to continue with us. He still has four years of his contract so there is nothing else to say.
“You know that players decide if they want to leave, they can decide. But as far as Barcelona, we want him and we need him. Because if we want to win, we need the best players possible.”
Speculation is growing that Neymar could complete his move in the next week after it emerged he will not accompany the rest of the Barça squad on their flight back from the United States after Saturday’s friendly against Real Madrid and will instead head to China to fulfil commercial commitments. It has also been reported that a scheduled promotional event for the travel agency Ctrip in Shanghai has been cancelled, with the company saying “the player and his staff are involved in a transfer”.
Meanwhile, Dani Alves has denied suggestions he has been attempting to help PSG woo his international team-mate. “Lies,” wrote the 34-year-old in response to a tweet from the Spanish radio station Onda Cero. “I am not trying to convince anybody of anything. When I speak with him, we talk about everything but football. If he is happy, I am happy.”
Barcelona are believed to be keen to resolve the situation either way by the middle of next week when Neymar is due to return to Catalonia. They have identified Philippe Coutinho as a potential replacement, with Liverpool having already turned down a bid of £72m for the Brazilian. Barça have yet to return with an improved offer but could attempt to persuade Jürgen Klopp to sell the playmaker by offering Ivan Rakitic in part-exchange. The new manager, Ernesto Valverde, is also understood to be in the market for a new midfielder, with PSG’s Marco Verratti still the priority.
The former Tottenham midfielder Paulinho and Nice’s Jean Michaël Seri are alternatives, although Arsenal and Spurs are among the sides expected to vie for the latter should the French side be eliminated in their Champions League qualifier against Ajax next week.
PSG also retain an interest in Alexis Sánchez, despite talks with his agent having broken down last week.