Audio By Carbonatix
Gerard Pique has admitted he does not know for certain whether Neymar will remain at Barcelona.
Pique posted a photo of the pair at the weekend on social media with the caption: "He stays," but the defender has now said that was only his opinion, not fact.
The Brazil international is wanted by Paris Saint-Germain, and Sky Sports News have been told there's a 90 per cent chance the deal could happen.
Pique said in a press conference on Tuesday night: "My Instagram post was a gut thing. I want Neymar to stay. [It's my] Personal opinion from conversations I've had with him. It's my intuition.
"It was nothing official, it doesn't depend on me. Only Neymar can say what will happen, but I hope he stays. I try to explain to Neymar, as a team-mate and a friend, the situation he's in. I would say don't go to a league which, with all due respect, is not as good."
Barcelona, with Neymar set to be in the line-up, play a pre-season friendly against Manchester United in the early hours of Thursday morning in Washington.
Javier Mascherano joined Pique in saying he thinks Neymar will remain at Barcelona.
"It's a personal decision for Neymar. What Pique says is what everyone is feeling because of Neymar's quality and character,' he said. "We've all had a little chat with him because it's the group's desire that Neymar stays with us.
"The feeling is that Neymar will stay because he's so important to us all on a footballing and personal level."
Latest Stories
-
Fidelity Bank completes renovation of multipurpose auditorium at Police Public Safety Training School
40 minutes -
Oil prices slide 2% on Iran-Oman talks to reopen Strait of Hormuz
47 minutes -
Telecoms operator MTN eyes banking licences as it pushes deeper into lending
54 minutes -
Show us how allegations involving MPs end – Dr Dramani demands clear path from probe to resolution
1 hour -
Mass arrests in global crackdown on West African cyber-crime networks
1 hour -
Ethiopia submits official bid to host Afcon 2028
1 hour -
We need leaders with integrity – Dramani warns supermajority Parliament over Afenyo-Markin allegations
2 hours -
Parliament scrutinises govt but cannot scrutinise itself – Dramani challenges MPs to apply their own standards
2 hours -
Partisan solidarity overrides accountability – Dr Dramani accuses Parliament of protecting its own
2 hours -
This goes beyond Afenyo-Markin – CDD warns fresh allegations could damage Parliament
3 hours -
Parliament is in crisis of confidence – CDD’s Osae-Kwapong warns fresh allegations could ceepen public distrust
3 hours -
Nigeria’s president orders rescue after mass kidnapping exposes security failingsÂ
3 hours -
Meta, US states have discussed settling teen social media harm case, Bloomberg News reports
3 hours -
All the best Savinho – welcome Savio… new club, new name for Spurs signing
4 hours -
Baleba completes ÂŁ70m Man Utd move from Brighton
4 hours