Neymar keeps silence on return to Barcelona
Brazilian superstar Neymar landed back in Barcelona on Tuesday evening, avoiding making any comment on the ongoing speculation about a possible world record transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.
The 25-year-old Barcelona forward was travelling back from China and had earlier posted a video on social media apparently from Dubai airport, amid suggestions that he could have been bound for Paris.
He has remained silent while rumours swirl that he will join the French club, who are reportedly ready to pay the 222 million-euro ($260 million) buyout clause in his contract at the Camp Nou.
Neymar, who was in Shanghai on Monday fulfilling a sponsor's engagement, had also posted a photo on Instagram with the caption in Portuguese: "Lunch at half-way".
In another video posted from an aeroplane, Neymar joked around with an image messaging app that superimposed a Spanish flag and a small plane on his tee-shirt -- suggesting he was indeed headed home to Barcelona.
Neymar finally landed in Barcelona just before 9:00pm local time (1900 GMT), taking a backdoor exit to avoid the dozens of journalists and a few supporters -- some wearing PSG shirts -- who had been awaiting his arrival.
A video filmed by a passenger and broadcast on Catalan television channel TV3 shows Neymar in an area reserved for flight crew. He is wearing headphones and avoids responding to fans asking if he is staying with Barcelona.
"FCB (Barcelona) and Neymar's entourage confirm that the player returns to Barcelona today. He will train tomorrow and continue with life as normal until everything is sorted out," tweeted Marcelo Bechler, the Brazilian journalist who first broke news of an "agreement" between the player and PSG on July 18.
Barcelona, who lost 3-2 to Real Madrid in Miami on Saturday, the last match of a US tour, are due to train at 9:30am on Wednesday.
"Neymar and the rest of the squad are due at training," a club source told AFP.
Barcelona's next match is on Monday in the annual Joan Gamper trophy, in which they will host Chapecoense, the Brazilian club whose team was decimated in an air disaster last November.
Ernesto Valverde's side play their first official match on August 13 against Madrid in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup.