Pep Guardiola has reportedly turned down the opportunity to add Neymar to his Manchester City ranks this summer, despite believing his beloved Barcelona would have won more Champions League crowns had the Brazilian superstar stayed at the club.
City continued their domestic dominance last season by claiming a fourth Premier League title in five years, but once again fell short in their ongoing bid to become champions of Europe. Guardiola's side capitulated in the dying minutes against Real Madrid at the semi-final stage to see their European dream shelved for yet another season.
In order to overcome their continental hoodoo next campaign, City have significantly strengthened this summer, adding the likes of Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez and Kalvin Phillips to an already star-studded squad. But one megastar the Premier League champions have seemingly passed up the chance to sign this summer is Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar.
According to Le Parisien, City were indeed offered the iconic Brazil international over recent weeks, but rejected the opportunity to sign him. The French outlet claim PSG were pushing to see Bernardo Silva included in a potential deal, however City refused to entertain the ambitious offer.
Neymar's future has been called into question this summer after reports emerged that new PSG sporting director Luis Campos was willing to offload the 30-year-old in the current window. The Ligue 1 champions, who themselves have failed in their own attempts to conquer Europe, are thought to be keen on freshen up their squad this summer.
Guardiola's decision to reject the offer which would see Neymar head to the Etihad comes as something of a surprise given his previous remarks on the player, and given his - and City's - insatiable desire to win the Champions League. The Spaniard admitted back in April 2021 that he believes his former club Barcelona would have gone on to win more European crowns in recent years had they been able to keep Neymar at the Nou Camp.
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"I remember watching clips of Neymar and thinking this is the king of Santos [Neymar's first club in Brazil]," Guardiola revealed ahead of City's Champions League semi-final second leg with PSG the season before last. "The players had their mouths open.
"If Neymar had stayed at Barcelona, they would have won two or three Champions League more. Him, [Lionel] Messi and [Luis] Suarez were the best up front. He makes football a pleasure.
"I always believe with the quality of the players, there isn't a defensive strategy to stop them. They are too good. They are incredible players, that's why they are there."
Despite such remarks, Guardiola evidently considers Bernardo a more integral piece of his City puzzle than perhaps Neymar could prove himself to be. The club's reluctance to allow the Portuguese midfielder to leave comes just one year after he appeared destined to depart.
Guardiola was understood to have been open to allowing Bernardo to move on last summer, while the player himself was keen on depart for a new challenge. However, the 27-year-old eventually stayed and proved himself critical to City's cause last campaign.
Barcelona have also been heavily linked with the influential attacker in the current window, however City are understood to have no intention of selling him this summer. It seems Neymar might not be going anywhere either following news of City's recent snub.
