PSG star Neymar has reportedly contacted Barcelona star Lionel Messi ahead of the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 between PSG and Barcelona to convince him to leave the club and agree to play for the Parisian side next season.

According to French newspaper L'Equipe, the Brazilian star called ‘La Pulga' before Joan Laporta had been appointed as the new president of Barcelona and insisted that he should accept PSG's proposal to play together again.

PARIS — Paris St Germain forward Neymar's latest injury can be blamed on a hectic match schedule and the COVID-19 crisis, coach Mauricio Pochettino said on Friday.

Neymar has been ruled out for four weeks with a groin injury, meaning he will miss the first leg of PSG’s Champions League last-16 tie at his former club Barcelona on Tuesday.

"When you look at the way injuries have increased it is because of the huge workload and the number of competitive games," Pochettino told a news conference on the eve of PSG’s Ligue 1 game at home to Nice.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar said he wants to remain at the Ligue 1 champions and hopes Kylian Mbappé will also pledge his future to the club.

Neymar joined PSG from Barcelona in 2017 for a world record fee of $269.26 million but Spanish media have frequently linked the 28-year-old with a switch back to the Catalan side.

Mbappé has 18 months remaining on his contract in Paris and new manager Mauricio Pochettino has played down reports the French forward could be on the move to Real Madrid.

Mauricio Pochettino can finally put the torment of finishing runner-up in the League Cup, Premier League and Champions League behind him: He's a Trophée des Champions CHAMPION!

The 48-year-old Argentine captured the first trophy of his managerial career after leading PSG to a 2-1 win over Marseille in Wednesday’s Trophée des Champions, giving him a record of two wins (one trophy) and one draw in Paris. It's going well. 

Desde que Lionel Messi le confesó a Jordi Évoli en una entrevista que le gustaría jugar en la MLS, tengo una visión del argentino liderando un Dream Team latino en el Inter de Miami FC en 2022 o 2023. Un equipo que incluiría también a Neymar Jr., Luis Suárez, Arturo Vidal, Alexis Sánchez y James Rodríguez.

New Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino said on Tuesday that he fulfilled a dream to return and manage the French club he played for and captained during his career as a defender in the early 2000s.

Pochettino had been out of a job since being dismissed by Tottenham Hotspur in November 2019 and took over the reins at PSG after Thomas Tuchel was sacked last month.