Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has ruled out a return to the Nou Camp for Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar.
Neymar left the Nou Camp for £200m to join PSG in 2017, but has often been linked with a return to Catalonia.
But Bartomeu, speaking to Spanish radio station Radio Kanal Barcelona, said: “I’ve spoken with Neymar, we’ve seen each other a few times, but his people have never told me he wants to come back.
“No one’s called us about it. Neymar has a contract with PSG. It’s his second season there and it’s very difficult (to imagine) they want to sell. We didn’t want to.
“We have the disadvantage of the (release) clause here. European clubs (can) take advantage of that. That’s not the case (in France) so it’s not possible for him to return.
“The club’s taken another path, with (Ousmane) Dembele, (Philippe) Coutinho. We have to move on with them. They’re the two biggest investments in the club’s history and we back them 100 per cent.”
That statement appears to have opened the door for Manchester United to make a move for the attacker this summer.
The Red Devils were strongly linked with a move for Neymar at the beginning of the week, and would make a real statement if they managed to land the brilliant Brazilian.