Neymar 'an incredible player' but rumours about Man City move not true, says Pep Guardiola

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has dismissed reports that claimed Paris Saint-Germain had offered Neymar to the Premier League champions.

French outlet Le Parisien reported that PSG had been in contact with City about a potential swap deal that would involve Neymar and City's Portuguese midfielder Bernardo Silva. They also claimed that City had rejected the offer.

However, Guardiola, while admiring Neymar as a player, insisted the report was false.

"I'm so sorry for Le Parisien but it's not true," Guardiola told reporters ahead of City's pre-season friendly against Club America in Houston, Texas. "I'm sorry for them because the information they were leaked was false.

"Neymar is an incredible player and, with the information I have, an incredibly nice guy. So leave him calm, let him express the huge talent he has in Paris alongside [Lionel] Messi and all the big stars they have.

"But I would say Manchester City every season bought 150 players. It looks like we are interested in all players around the world. You know that is not true. I'm sorry for Neymar, of course!"

Focusing on the players who are in his squad, Guardiola admitted that the absence of Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan, and John Stones from the pre-season tour of the United States was a blow to City's preparations for the new campaign.

All three players failed to meet US entry requirements, which demands all foreign visitors be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Foden, Gundogan, and Stones have been training with City's Under-23s in Croatia and will rejoin the senior squad when they return from the US.

Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe, centre, smiles with Neymar during a training session at a stadium in Tokyo on July 19, 2022. AFP

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