Neymar wants to play with Messi again; 'We have to do it next season'

Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar Jr. has openly admitted that he wants to reunite with former teammate Lionel Messi, with whom he shared the FC Barcelona dressing room for four years.

Neymar Jr. left Barcelona in 2017 to seek greener pastures in France. Despite enjoying massive domestic success with PSG, the Brazilian has never really settled in fully and continues to be linked to a move away from the club.

It is also no secret that Messi had expressed disappointment at how Barcelona handled the transfer, and has been asking for the club to find a way to bring the Brazilian back. That was one of the reasons believed to be a factor behind Messi's decision to leave the club at the end of last season. He was unsuccessful in his bid for a transfer, but his contract ends in 2021.

With Neymar expressing his desire to reunite with Messi, the question remains: where will they reunite? Can Barcelona afford to bring Neymar back to Camp Nou and does Messi even want to stay? On the other hand, will PSG make the bold move and approach the Argentine superstar? Alternatively, both of them can make a move to another club perhaps in the Premier League where Manchester City may be willing to spend for both their services.

"What I want most is to play with [Messi] again, to be able to enjoy being on the pitch with him again," Neymar said after PSG's UEFA Champions League win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday. "He could play in my place. He won't have any problems, I'm sure. I want to play with him again and I'm sure that, next season, we have to do it," he added, as quoted by Marca.

Meanwhile, speculations are still swirling around the fate of the Argentine. His desire to leave the club led to a major crisis that culminated in the resignation of former Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu and his entire board of directors. They also replaced coach Quique Setien with Ronald Koeman, who has assured that Messi is in his plans for the future. It remains to be seen if the changes are enough to convince Messi to renew his contract beyond the current season.