Barcelona Transfer News: Neymar Confusion, Latest Sergi Roberto Rumours

The transfer saga surrounding
Barcelona star Neymar and his
potential move to Paris Saint-
Germain continues to twist and turn,
as reports have emerged saying
Gerard Pique's tweet on the subject
completely surprised and confused
the Brazilian's camp. Meanwhile,
Sergi Roberto has been linked with
Chelsea.
Neymar and PSG have dominated
the football headlines for days now,
with numerous contradicting reports
surfacing daily. Pique became the
first player to publicly speak up on
Sunday, tweeting this picture along
with a caption that translated as "he
stays":

ESPN (via AS) reported sources close
to the former Santos man say
Neymar was left confused by the
tweet, however, and the plan is still
to move to France, if PSG are willing
to trigger his massive buyout clause,
worth well over €200 million.
As shared by ESPN FC's Samuel
Marsden, team-mate Jordi Alba
commented on the tweet, and while
he's hopeful the Brazil international
is staying, he didn't sound like a
player who had been told that's the
case:

Carlos Carpio of Marca previously
reported the 25-year-old had agreed
to a contract with Les Parisiens, and
all that's left is for the French giants
to trigger his clause or negotiate a
fee with Barcelona.
His colleague Ramiro Aldunate (via
Tim Hanlon) disagreed, however,
reporting instead Neymar had talked
to some of his team-mates and had
since decided to stay in Catalonia.
This saga―and the steady stream of
contradicting reports that comes
with it―won't end until the man
himself makes his intentions clear,
and there are no indications Neymar
will do so anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Catalan outlet Sport (h/t
Joe Miles of The Sun) reported
Chelsea will turn to Roberto in their
quest to add defensive depth, as the
Premier League champions are
ready to pay his €40 million buyout
clause.
The Blues have been linked with a
host of full-backs but lost out on
Danilo, who instead joined rivals
Manchester City. With options
quickly dwindling, Roberto could
become an alternative.
The Spaniard is a more natural fit in
midfield but filled in admirably as a
right-back last year, especially after
Aleix Vidal went down with an
injury. The Catalans have since
signed Nelson Semedo, however,
and he's expected to become their
new starter.

His versatility would be a big benefit
for the Blues, but the fact he isn't a
natural at full-back―something that
was painfully clear at times last
year―and should stick in the centre
of the pitch to reach his full
potential would make him an odd
target for the Blues.
As a depth option, he could be a
good addition, but it's hard to see
the native from Catalonia leave his
boyhood club for anything but a
starring role.