Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane has revealed how his teammates ‘lost track’ of the rumours linking Neymar with the club.
The Brazilian attacking star was heavily linked with an exit from Paris Saint-Germain this summer with Madrid and Barcelona reportedly very keen on a return.
Neymar joined the Parisians from the Blaugrana in a world record €222m deal in the summer of 2017 but has been heavily linked with a return to Spanish football since.
Los Blancos take on Thomas Tuchel’s side in the Champions League this weekend and French defender Varane was asked about the links.
“We did not talk about it a lot, because we were already focused on our beginning of the season,” Varane explained in an interview with Le Parisien, as cited by Marca.
“Every day there were new announcements. We ended up losing track of what was happening!
“Alphonso Areola? In football, everything goes very fast and his work is special. In Madrid, we are lucky to have two very good specialist goalkeepers.
“We will see who plays more this season. I know his qualities and I hope he has the opportunity to express them. He can have a good season. He is ready. We will make him part of our club.
“Keylor Navas? He had so many key moments here, especially in the Champions League and was significant for us with all our titles.”
