Neymar to Barcelona saga set to return: Richard Buxton

Neymar has made productive use of football's current hiatus with some Netflix, while a drama is unfolding over his links with former club Barcelona.

The world's most expensive player turned to the video-streaming service to kill the boredom of being housebound after numerous leagues across the globe were shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Soon the Beautiful Game's enfant terrible will be breaking the fourth wall with a multi-part documentary currently being produced about his life both on and off the pitch.

Captivated viewers may get more than they bargained for, should a prodigal return to Barcelona finally come to fruition in the summer transfer window, whenever it reopens.

Despite dropping out of the latest Ballon d'Or shortlist, Neymar refuses to fall off the radar.

Everything he does, no matter how insignificant, is covered and scrutinised in equal measure.

Take his merciless mocking of Erling Haaland's celebration after Paris Saint-Germain dumped Borussia Dortmund out of the Champions League's Round of 16 last week.

Ridiculing the teenage goal machine based entirely on a fake Snapchat post - where Haaland had allegedly referred to the French capital as "my city" - laid bare the problems that will invariably resurface if his widely touted Nou Camp homecoming does materialise.

Lionel Messi is still enamoured by the prospect of a reunion with his former strike partner, but conveniently overlooks the circumstances that led to Neymar quitting Barca in 2017.

An inability to accept playing second fiddle to the mercurial Argentine drove him to the depths of pursuing that acrimonious transfer to the Parc des Princes barely three years ago.

He was supposed to be Messi's heir apparent, yet impatiently refused to wait around; naively believing that the Ballon d'Or would be his for the taking once away from his teammate's shadow.

In truth, neither party has fully recovered from this mother of all break-ups.

Everyone became collateral damage in Neymar's exit strategy, including his closest former teammates.

Discourse over its ramifications continues to rage between the two sides to this very day.

Last summer's failed pursuit, endorsed by Messi and the dressing room, similarly divides opinion among their supporters, as does his prospective return a second time around.

Fears that a talented Brazilian's presence would corrupt La Masia's latest bright young talent is hardly uncharted territory for the Catalan side.

Pep Guardiola made a point of expunging both Ronaldinho and the Brazil-born Deco at the outset of his tenure in order to preserve Messi's purity.

History threatens to repeat itself if Neymar's hopes of a comeback are seen through.

Concerns over negatively influencing teammates are evident in the shift in Kylian Mbappe's attitude.

Virtually overnight, the World Cup winner has transformed from humble to haughty.

Blocking a first-team pathway for Ansu Fati, who has restarted Barca's stagnant production line with a regular run of games this season, is further grounds for reservation.

Self-sustainability rather than self-indulgence remains a greater priority for their core fan base.

The club's besieged hierarchy, however, has slowly come round to Messi's way of thinking; a war of attrition between the boardroom and the first team leaves them with little other choice.

Clinging onto power by placating senior players in the short term is their best chance of avoiding the genuine risk of needing to call presidential elections a year earlier than planned.

PSG sporting director Leonardo is reportedly ready to allow Neymar to leave for a reduced fee of 150 million euros (S$237.8m), according to ESPN.

PSG's willingness to take a hit on their original 222 million-euro outlay will still be as decisive as Neymar's acceptance of taking a bruising to his ever-inflating personal ego.

No matter how it all plays out, it will make for compelling viewing.