Valverde dismisses talk of Neymar move

NEW YORK: Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde swatted down talk of star striker Neymar departing for a world-record transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, dismissing “rumours” on Friday and saying the squad wants him to stay.

Amid reports that Neymar´s future at the Camp Nou is in doubt, Valverde says the Brazil international is beloved and wanted at Barca for years to come.

“This is a time of rumours. We understand it´s how it is,” Valverde said. “He is with us right now. One of us. It´s a player we love and we want. Not only football-wise, but also for the things he brings to the locker room.

“It´s only rumours. There´s no need to worry about something we don´t know if it´s going to happen or not. If it happens in the future, we´ll see. But no need to worry about it now.”

The comments came as Barcelona opened a US exhibition tour to prepare for the upcoming campaign.

Barcelona midfielder and captain Sergio Busquets also shrugged off talk of Neymar departing as rumour.

“It´s a period of rumours and there´s a lot of news going on,” Busquets said. “He´s the only one who knows. If he has to say something he will. There´s nothing I have to tell him. He already knows where he is.”

Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano called Neymar the future of the Spanish giants, telling ESPN on Friday that he hopes the striker stays as well.

“In the case of Ney, obviously he is young, and I hope he´s here with Barcelona for many more years,” Mascherano said.