Barcelona forward, Luis Suarez, has stated that his former teammate, Neymar will not join Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain because of the “admiration” he has for Barcelona.
The Brazilian has been strongly linked with a move back to Spain capital but Saurez is confident the move will not materialized.
Neymar left the Catalan club for a world-record €222 million fee in August, heading to Paris on a contract until 2022.
The Brazil star has been repeatedly linked with a return to Spain and a controversial switch to the Barca’s bitter rivals, Real Madrid.
The Uruguayan told Marca, “Not at all. Honestly, I do not see it.
“I know how Neymar is and the admiration he had for Barcelona and his team-mates. I do not see him now going to play for Real Madrid.”
The former Liverpool striker also defended Neymar’s decision to leave the Catalan outfit, insisting he understands why he and his family made the decision they did.
“Ney is a mature person and was fully aware of the decision he made,” Suarez added.
“Obviously he did it with a lot of pain, because he was happy here. But we all have to accept that he had other challenges and that he wanted to take them on.
“It was an understandable decision that he took with his family. There is no reproach, just admiration and pure love for everything that he has given the club and the relationship we had throughout those years.”
Suarez pointed out that the players brought in to minimise the impact of the Brazilian’s exit have done well, particularly Paulinho.
He added, “Neymar is a different and special player of whom many things were expected.
“Other footballers who contribute a lot have come in, like [Gerard] Deulofeu, who had already trained at the club.
“Also Paulinho, who has silenced many critics and is performing at a very high level since he arrived, he is one of the captains of Brazil.
“[Ousmane] Dembele had the bad luck to injure himself at first, but when he is well you will see how he surprises many.”
