Barcelona sporting director Javier Bordas has admitted that the club is 'getting closer' to securing a deal for wantaway Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar Jr. On Tuesday, the Blaugrana and Les Parisiens were locked in negotiation which reportedly lasted for four hours.
Neymar's departure from the Ligue 1 outfit has been an open secret from sometime now and with the summer transfer window nearing its end, the player is expected to seal a last-minute move elsewhere. While both Real Madrid and Barcelona were both believed to be keen on securing the service of the 27-year-old Brazilian winger, it is the latter that has made significant progress in its pursuit.
According to reports from Spain, an entourage from Barcelona including the club's sporting director Javier Bordas, Eric Abidal and chief executive Oscar Grau met with Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo and general manager Jean-Claude Blanc on Tuesday afternoon. Both parties participated in a dialogue which apparently lasted for over four hours.
It is believed that Barcelona submitted a £153 million bid to re-sign Neymar and also offered to potentially send Ousmane Dembele on loan to the Parc des Princes outfit on loan to sweeten the deal. The payment of the fee quoted is expected to be paid in two instalments and according to Javier Bordas, the conclusion of the deal is not far away.
"There is no agreement Not yet," he told the local media upon arriving back in Spain.
"We are still negotiating and I think we are closer."
Neymar Jr is yet to feature for Paris Saint=Germain this season with his future still up in the air. The Brazilian winger's side currently ranks third in Ligue 1 after two wins and a defeat.
