Barcelona president: 'We know that Neymar wants to leave PSG'

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu believes Neymar is keen to leave Paris Saint-Germain but the French club won't sell the forward.

Neymar left Barcelona for PSG in a world-record €222-million transfer two summers ago. However, his relationship with the Ligue 1 outfit seems to have soured, with chief Nasser Al-Khelaifi's warning that "celebrity behavior" would no longer be tolerated at the Parc des Princes widely believed to be a not-so-subtle jab at the Brazilian international.

The disquiet around Neymar's situation in Paris has led to him being linked with a return to Catalonia.

"We know that Neymar wants to leave PSG, but PSG don't want to sell him, so there's no Neymar case," Bartomeu said in a press conference Friday, according to ESPN FC's Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens.

Bartomeu also refuted reports that Lionel Messi asked Barcelona to re-sign Neymar, and he refused to speak any further on the transfer speculation.

Barcelona vice-president Jordi Cardoner said last month that he believed Neymar wanted to play for the Blaugrana again but that the club didn't want him. A report then contradicted Cardoner's words less than a week later, as it was understood Barcelona were considering using Philippe Coutinho as a makeweight in a deal to reacquire Neymar.

The 27-year-old is currently nursing an ankle injury while he watches Coutinho and other compatriots pursue a ninth Copa America crown for the Selecao. Brazil faces Peru in Sunday's final.