Pique: Neymar and Ter Stegen going nowhere

Gerard Pique does not believe Neymar and Marc-Andre ter Stegen will leave Barcelona any time soon amid reports the duo could be on the move at the end of the season.

Neymar has been heavily linked with Paris Saint-Germain in recent weeks, with his agent suggesting a move to Paris could be tempting and that the Ligue 1 giants could be prepared to meet his buy-out clause, while Liverpool and Manchester City are believed to be keen on Ter Stegen.

Nevertheless, Pique has stressed it would take something special for a player to voluntarily leave the Camp Nou side.

“Neymar will not leave Barcelona. I know him and he will not leave. Period,” Pique told a media conference.

“Could Ter Stegen leave? We are talking about Barcelona here. We are not a club where players want to leave. This club, this city, these fans…”

Saturday’s Clasico defeat saw second-placed Atletico close the gap on Liga leaders Barcelona to six points, with Real Madrid a further point back, but Pique remains confident Barca can defend top spot for the remainder of the season.

“I am still convinced Barcelona will win La Liga. We have a great team. There will not be a team out there that is higher on confidence than us,” the defender stressed.

“We were in control until the 1-1 [in the Clasico]. We were not sure whether to go for it from there on. Madrid played to their strengths. But we dominated for the opening 65 minutes or so.

“There is always a tendency to be negative, but we would all be happy to play Madrid again if we got the chance. We beat Madrid earlier this season and were in control of the season.

“I have no doubt we will win La Liga.”