Barcelona legend Rivaldo believes his former club should prioritise the re-signing of Neymar from Paris Saint-German when the transfer window reopens later in the year.
The Brazil international parted ways with the Blaugrana to join the French champions during the summer of 2017 after they triggered the £198m release clause on his contract.
Neymar has since impressed with 69 goals and 39 assists from just 80 appearances but it has still been a disappointment with Les Parisiens failing to make any progress in the Champions League.
Writing in his Betfair column, Rivaldo revealed that he is aware of the ongoing speculation linking Neymar and Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez with possible moves to the Camp Nou.
He added that the Blaugrana should prioritise the re-signing of Neymar as the Brazilian would be a definite choice to claim a starting place alongside Lionel Messi.
The likes of Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann have not found the co-ordination with Messi on the field and Rivaldo believes Neymar would be a safer transfer choice over Martinez.
“The rumours are growing about Barcelona’s intention to sign Neymar and Lautaro Martinez in the next transfer window. Although the young Argentinian is a good player, I think that only Neymar is a certain bet to claim a place in the starting XI side by side with Messi,” he told.
“Looking at the last few years we have seen many valuable players who didn’t manage to play alongside Messi – failing to perform under the expectations. But Neymar – like Luis Suárez – is one of the few players in the world that doesn’t feel pressure on the pitch, always playing with plenty of personality.
“He never gets frightened and it would be a safe option for the club while Martinez is a young, talented forward that perhaps in two or three years may become a good signing. For now I think the club should prioritise Neymar.”
Neymar is presently valued at £135m by Les Parisiens and the Blaugrana are unlikely to meet the price without parting ways with some of their existing players.
As per Sky Sports, it is claimed that the Spanish champions may offer Griezmann as a makeweight in order to significantly reduce the price tag for Neymar’s services.
Apart from Griezmann, the likes of Philippe Coutinho (currently at loan at Bayern Munich) and Ousmane Dembele could also be shown the exit door in order for the club to sign both Neymar and Martinez ahead of the 2020/21 season.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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