Lionel Messi says he would have “loved” for Neymar to return to Barcelona as his arrival would have “increased our chances of achieving our objectives.”
Neymar, 27, joined Paris St-Germain from Barcelona in 2017 for a world record fee of 222m euros (£200m).
“He was desperate to come back,” Messi told Spanish newspaper Sport. “I don’t know if the club really tried or not.”
Neymar scored 105 goals in 186 games for the Catalan club between 2013-2017, and has 51 goals in 58 games for PSG.
The Brazil international was repeatedly linked with a return to Barcelona during the transfer window, although it has been suggested that neither club was convinced that the other was committed to making a deal.
“I would have loved to have Neymar back,” said Barcelona captain Messi, 32. “I understand those people who are against his return and it’s understandable for what happened with ‘Ney’ and the way that he left.
“But thinking about it on a sporting level, I personally think Neymar is one of the best players in the world and having him in our squad would increase our chances of achieving our objectives.”
