This archive report was first published on 15 July 2019.
Paris Saint-Germain's Brazilian star Neymar is set to return to the French capital on Monday, July 15, 2019, following a controversy that erupted after he made remarks about his former team Barcelona.
According to a statement from Neymar's press office, the 27-year-old footballer will appear at the club on Monday, although the exact time of his visit remains unknown.
The controversy began when Neymar missed the team's first training session earlier this month, prompting the club to vow to take 'appropriate action.'
Neymar has insisted that he had a prior agreement with PSG to stay in Brazil to help his foundation, the Neymar Institute.
On Saturday, July 13, 2019, Neymar made a series of remarks that strained his relationship with the club and sparked outrage on social media.
When asked by online sports channel Oh My Goal about his best changing room memory, Neymar said it was Barcelona's incredible 2017 comeback 6-1 win over PSG, which he helped inflict on his current club.
Earlier in the day, Neymar posted a 10-second video of himself in a Barcelona shirt, with his father, and a quote from the Bible: 'No weapon turned against you will prosper.' (Isaiah Chapter 54, Verse 17).
Neymar wants to leave PSG and return to Barcelona, but the club's high transfer fee of 222 million euros ($252 million) is making it difficult for him to find a suitor.
The chances of him rejoining the Catalan giants are further complicated by Antoine Griezmann's arrival from Atletico Madrid for 120 million euros.
PSG's sporting director Leonardo has said that 'Neymar can leave PSG if there is an offer that suits everybody.'
Neymar's father and representative, Neymar Santos, has defended his son's comments, saying they were taken out of context.
