The Neymar saga continues to wear on. And now it is the star player himself that is adding to the drama.
Despite numerous rumors circulating about the youngster would be leaving Santos this summer, Neymar has stated that he is not finished just yet with his current club.
"I'm happy here. I have already told you. Unless I die this game [against Corinthians on Sunday] is not my last game," said Neymar about his stance on remaining with Santos. "If people are saying other things, then they know more than I do. Many people say what they want without knowing anything. But this is how things are."
Despite Neymar's stance, the team is not as sure about his future.
"There is nothing done. It depends on the negotiations," Santos vice-president Odilio Rodrigues said about a potential deal. "We can't predict if Neymar will stay or not. In reality we hoped he stayed until 2014 but apparently it's hard due to the offers he received.
He added, "He should stay until 2014, but it's a long transfer window and we will receive many offers. We will see if they are interesting or not...We have the idea of fighting to keep Neymar, but we have to convince ourselves that football is a business, it's the market laws that prevail.
Neymar is signed with Santos until 2014.
Barcelona has been vocal about wanting the 21-year old. Current Captain Xavi recently told that media that "Neymar is an amazing player; there is something different about him. For defenders, he is very tricky to contain and he is excellent when on his own in front of the keeper... He looks like he could be one of the big names in world football."
Barcelona representative Andre Cury added, "Messi, Xavi and (Andres) Iniesta are all awaiting him with open arms. Neymar coming to Barcelona will put an end to two types of over-dependence: dependence on Neymar at Santos and over-dependence on Messi at Barcelona as we would then have another player at his level."
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
