Lionel Messi: Neymar return to Barcelona is "complicated"

Lionel Messi has spoken of how a return to Barcelona for Neymar next summer would be "complicated".

The Brazilian, who moved to Paris Saint-Germain for £198m in 2017, pushed hard for a return to the Camp Nou over the summer, but no such deal materialised.

It is thought that Barcelona, having failed to meet PSG's £200m valuation, will return with another approach when the summer transfer window reopens.

Speaking in an interview with the 'Perros de la Calle' show on Radio Metro, Messi said: "With Neymar, we continue to speak a lot.

"We still have a WhatsApp group which also has Luis Suarez. It was difficult for him to return, but here we are.

"Many members and people at the club didn't want him to come back, although in a sporting sense it would have been great. [However] the other side is understandable. It's a little complicated."

Messi is one of the most vocal endorsers of a return to Catalonia for Neymar, noting earlier this season that the move to Paris was a "mistake".

Barcelona failed to sign the 27-year-old last summer because they wanted a players-plus-cash deal, whereas PSG were only interested in receiving a flat £200m fee.