Messi: Huge blow if Neymar joins Real

FC Barcelona superstar and Argentina captain Lionel Messi have said that seeing his former Barca teammate Neymar end up with arch-rivals Real Madrid will be a "hard blow".

It's believed that Neymar regrets his world-record move to France last summer and doesn't like the style of play Ligue 1 advocates.

Sao Paulo: Brazilian striker Neymar said getting fit for the World Cup following surgery has been the biggest challenge of his career and he is also anxious about how his injured foot will respond to top-class competition.

The Argentina captain told TyC Sports channel programme "Libero" (via Sport): "It would be bad [if Neymar moved to Madrid] because of everything he means to Barcelona".

Neymar left Barcelona last August to join PSG for €222 million (S$351.7 million), becoming the world's most expensive football player in a transfer that upset Barcelona fans. It would be a huge blow for everyone.

"This is a hard time, one of the most hard that I have faced", Neymar told Jornal Nacional. Messi is running out of time to clinch the World Cup and silence critics whereas Neymar who is now 26-years still has a few more World Cups to work on.

"It would make Real Madrid stronger".

"I am not tempted to leave Barcelona". I think it's one of the most hard I've ever had, because I'm very close to a dream I have, which is the World Cup.

"I've started training with the ball, I've started shooting and passing and now it's just a case of improving", he added.

Zinedine Zidane insists "every important player wants to play for Real Madrid", but refused to entertain the idea of launching an audacious bid for Neymar.

"It's a weight that we carry and we want to overcome it", he said.