19:25h CEST

Just when the Neymar soap opera appears to be reaching a conclusion, another episode emerges. Doom and gloom swept through the corridors at Camp Nou a few days ago; the club were pessimistic about the chances of keeping the Brazilian at the club. Now, in an unexpected twist, things seem to have changed.

Neymar leaning towards Barcelona stay

Neymars meeting with club president Josep María Bartomeu, which AS revealed on Saturday, has coupled with pressure from senior players to make the player change his mind. He is now leaning towards staying at Barcelona.

Barça stars swing Neymar towards staying JEWEL SAMAD (AFP)

Gerard Piqué, Luis Suárez, and Lionel Messi, among others, sat down with Neymar to convince him that his career would be best served by remaining at Barcelona. Neymars Barça colleagues having been attempting to woo him publically as well as privately. In an interview with ESPN, Javier Mascherano stated that Neymar is the future of Barça, while Sergio Busquets referred to him as very important in the lead-up to the pre-season friendly against Juventus.

Ernesto Valverde has echoed those sentiments, stating that we are counting on him, and him on us.

Coutinho signing would be significant

The signing of Coutinho from Liverpool would also be significant in the context of Neymars future. The diminutive playmaker is a close friend of Neymar, who has been encouraging Barcelona to sign him for several months. If Barcelona manage to close that deal, it would represent a statement of intent.