Neymar continues to give Barcelona the runaround with reports from sources close to the player on Tuesday suggesting he was heading back to Brazil to think about his future.
The player’s latest Instagram posts suggest otherwise with the 25-year-old on a flight out of Dubai and due to arrive in Catalonia on Tuesday evening.
Relations between the player and the club are at an all-time low after Barcelona withheld a payment to Neymar Senior on Monday.
Now with Barcelona due to resume training on Wednesday and coach Ernesto Valverde – still reeling from having to send Neymar to the showers last week after he scrapped with Nelson Semedo – Neymar still has the club in the dark over his intentions.
On Monday, Neymar Senior was due a payment of 25m euros (£22.4million) for his part in Neymar’s contract renewal last October.
Some at the club believe the player’s departure dragged on through the summer tour in the U.S. precisely because Neymar’s father suspected the payment would be blocked if his son moved before.
Barcelona briefed at the start of the week that they had deposited the money with a lawyer in the city and that it would only be released to Neymar Snr if Neymar stayed at the club.
If Neymar joins PSG then Barca would seek legal advice in a bid to pay just a fraction of the sum on the basis that the Brazilian’s renewal was for five years and he will only have stayed for one year of those five.
Mundo Deportivo published a story on Tuesday morning suggesting that Neymar was set to fly to Brazil, missing training in Barcelona, and trying to force the club to pay his father what he believes he is owed, and to sit down with PSG and thrash out the sale of the century before the French season starts this weekend.
Now it appears he is heading back to work with his current employer as the saga rumbles on.
Neymar appeared to have moved a step closer to finalising his £196m move to Paris Saint-Germain as the Brazilian arrived in the Middle East ahead of a potential medical.
The unsettled Barcelona star left Asia, where he was taking part in sponsorship responsibilities, and flew to Dubai.
He looked cool, calm and collected as he posed for a picture while he dined out with his friends.
Neymar sang lyrics to Thiaguinho’s ‘Energia Surreal’ as he was in a jovial mood with his close companions – including Jo Amancio and Alvaro Costa.
The 25-year-old shared a snap of himself at lunch as PSG supporters prepared to welcome him to the French capital.
He could complete his world record £196m transfer to the French side by the end of the week.
Neymar also shared an excerpt of the New Testament (Philippians 4:11) which conveyed that he was remaining strong despite controversy.
‘I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
‘I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.’

Barcelona superstar Neymar has never been scared of splashing the cash but with a £500,000-a-week contract at Paris Saint-Germain on the cards, the Brazilian took his spending to a whole other level on Complex magazine’s Sneaker Shopping series.

Neymar was invited onto the show to discuss his career, his love of fashion and most importantly his penchant for limited edition sneakers.

The Brazil international even has his own brand of trainer, the Air Jordan V ‘Neymar’, which was launched in collaboration with Nike and NBA legend Michael Jordan.

‘He was incredible when I met him,’ Neymar told Complex. ‘He was a really nice guy, really cool.

‘I was taken aback by his hospitality. It was one of the happiest moments of my life. I was shaking when I met him.’

Neymar will continue his collaboration with Nike and Jordan in the near future and the 25-year-old revealed he already has ideas on a follow up to the Air Jordan Hypervenom II football boots that were released last year.

‘The plan is to keep on improving, not just the boots themselves, but its development so I can be more comfortable with a lighter boot,’ he said.

‘We’ll carry on talking to improve its appearance.’

Neymar also revealed he and Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi have a personal rivalry when it comes to each other’s footwear on the pitch.

‘Not with trainers, but with boots – when they’re ugly we play around, have a joke,’ he said.

After finishing his interview, Neymar took the time to browse the world-famous Flight Club shoe shop in Los Angeles before racking up a whopping $18,623 (£14,242) bill – a new record for the Sneaker Shopping series.

Barcelona technical secretary Robert Fernandez considers it implausible that any club would pay Neymar’s €222million release clause.

The Brazil star signed a new five-year contract last June that includes a buy-out clause, which has risen from €200m to €222m and will reach €250m in 12 months’ time.

Neymar was linked with a move away from Camp Nou before his new deal effectively ended speculation over a possible transfer to either Manchester United or Paris Saint-Germain.

However, a report in Sport on Monday claimed the 25-year-old is unsettled in Catalonia and would consider leaving in the transfer window.

Robert, though, does not expect any side to be audacious enough to attempt an offer.

When asked if he could imagine Barca without Neymar, he told a news conference: “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

He added: “It’s not our intention to lose players, certainly not good players. We try to improve within the confines of what is possible.

“We’ve not had any offers for any players in our squad.”

Robert added that Barca would like to sign a midfielder who can play in three different roles across the centre of the pitch.

Ernesto Valverde’s side have been rebuffed in their attempts to negotiate a deal for PSG’s Marco Verratti but Robert made it clear they will not sign a player of anything less than the highest quality, despite their challenging transfer window so far.

“It’s difficult because we have an amazing team. Whoever comes here has to be a big player,” he said.

“A player who can play in all three positions would be amazing, because playing in that position means you’re always fighting for game time so the more positions you can play in, the more opportunities you’ll have.”

Barcelona star Neymar is still someway short of matching the goalscoring feats of team-mates Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, but the Brazilian has been valued as the world’s most expensive player.

In a new study by the CIES Football Observatory, the 25-year-old emerges as the most valuable footballer on the planet, ahead of Messi and Tottenham duo Harry Kane and Dele Alli based on certain key criteria.

ymar is valued at an eye-watering £185million according to the research, based on performance, employer clubs, international status, contract, age, position and marketability.

A list of the 110 most desirable players in Europe’s top five leagues have been released with each member being valued at a minimum of £40m.

Alli’s meteoric rise at Spurs and England has resulted in him being the second-most valuable player on the continent, with the findings estimating his worth at £137m, while Kane’s £135m will rise if he is handed the England captaincy permanently.

At 29 years old, Messi’s prolific returns each season defies the view that his best days are behind him but the CIES studies value him at £134m with him unlikely to leave Barcelona during his peak years.

Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann is the fifth-most costly player, at £132m, while Suarez comes in just beneath him at a market value of £124m.

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba cost the club a world-record transfer fee last summer, and the France international has been given a value of £118m.

Gonzalo Higuain (£106m) is eighth on the list while Player of the Year Eden Hazard (£104m) and Paulo Dybala (£102m) are also in the top 10.

The oldest player to make the list is Cristiano Ronaldo, with the evergreen Real Madrid and Portugal star 11th on the list at a value of £99m.

The exclusive CIES Football Observatory algorithm is based on the thorough analysis of almost 2,000 paying fee transfers and the variables have led to the Premier League being heavily represented.