Barca, with help from Gerard Pique, have convinced Neymar not to join PSG (Picture: Getty)
Barca, with help from Gerard Pique, have convinced Neymar not to join PSG (Picture: Getty)

Barcelona have had to make a host of promises to Neymar in order to keep him at the club, with Gerard Pique confirming on Sunday night that the Brazilian has been successfully persuaded to stay.

The 25-year-old suddenly became embroiled in one of the summer’s most unexpected transfer sagas, with Paris Saint-Germain seemingly prepared to activate his €222m (£199m) release clause as manager Unai Emery spoke of a need to sign ‘one of the best players in the world’.

But according to various reports in Spain, Pique, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez spoke with the PSG target for several hours to convince him of his importance at Camp Nou, before Pique confirmed the U-turn with a simple message on Instagram: ‘He stays.’

https://www.instagram.com/p/BW5zNYmlavf/?taken-by=3gerardpique

Sport claim that Barca went on a major charm offensive, beginning with new boss Ernesto Valverde who underlined Neymar’s importance as a key player, before the rest of the dressing room got in on the act.

Messi and Suarez insisted that he is just as integral a part of the famed ‘MSN’ attack as they are, while Pique reminded him of what it means to play for Barcelona and the legendary status he can acquire if he continues with the club.

Messi shared free-kick duties with Neymar against Juventus in East Rutherford (Picture: Getty)

Actions speak louder than words, though, and Messi relinquished free-kick duties in their pre-season win over Juventus at the weekend to show Neymar that he can share the spotlight, with the Brazilian likely to take more set-pieces in the future.

Meanwhile, Mundo Deportivo report that, while Barca will not offer Neymar a new deal after only signing an extension last year, they are prepared to convince him of his importance another way: by signing his favourite players.

Brazil stars Coutinho and Neymar have known each other since they were kids (Picture: Getty)
Brazil stars Coutinho and Neymar have known each other since they were kids (Picture: Getty)

One of the biggest draws for Neymar about joining PSG was the abundance of Brazilians already in the French capital, including his good friend Dani Alves and former Brazil skipper Thiago Silva.

As a result, Barca want to bolster their ranks with a few Brazilians of their own and will target two friends and compatriots of Neymar to keep him happy and settled in Catalonia: Former Tottenham flop Paulinho and, even more importantly, Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho.

Coutinho and Neymar have known each other since they were young, and while Barca have been linked with the Liverpool star as a replacement for their own Brazilian, he is in fact wanted to complement him.

Jurgen Klopp, though, insists he will do everything possible to keep his most prized asset: ‘Yes [I had a conversation] with him. What did we say? It’s not for you.

‘He’s a key player for us. I know he feels more than comfortable at Liverpool. He loves the club and loves the city.’

Barcelona are still expected to meet again with Neymar’s father, who has been in talks with PSG on his son’s behalf, and there is a confidence that the forward will make a public declaration of his commitment to the club in the coming days.

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