Marquinhos urges ´team-mate and friend´ Neymar to remain at PSG

Neymar “knows what he has to do” over his Paris Saint-Germain future, according to team-mate Marquinhos.

The world’s most expensive player has been linked with a sensational return to Barcelona in recent weeks, while PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi’s recent warning that he would no longer tolerate “celebrity behaviour” at the club was perceived in some quarters as a veiled dig at the Brazil superstar.

Ankle ligament damage ruled Neymar out of Brazil’s Copa America campaign but, speaking after his country’s 0-0 draw with Venezuela, Marquinhos was clear he hopes his compatriot will remain in the French capital.

“A player of Neymar’s calibre, the difference he makes… as a team-mate, friend and fan, I want him to stay at Paris Saint-Germain,” the 25-year-old defender told reporters.

“He knows what he has to do, our president also knows what he has to do. I do not know [about] the conversation they had.”

Neymar has scored 34 goals in 37 Ligue 1 appearances for PSG but his two seasons in France have been hindered by lengthy spells on the sidelines due to injuries.