Reports: Barcelona to offer Neymar £150 million contract to ward off United interest
Barcelona will hand Neymar a new contract worth £150 million as Barcelona try to secure one of their best players on a long-term deal to ward off any potential interest from Manchester United, according to the Telegraph.
The Brazilian star was subjected to interest from the Red Devils during the last few weeks of the transfer window, but is set to sign a long-term contract at the Camp Nou which is expected to earn him a reported £500,000 per week.
The 23-year-old winger had a brilliant season with Barcelona as he combined with Messi and Suarez to help Barcelona to their first treble since the 2008-09 season. He scored 39 goals in 51 appearances as the trio racked up a huge 122 goals amongst themselves. The deal is a reward for his consistent performances and growth since his move to Spain from Santos in 2013, and will make him one of the highest earners in the world of football right now.
Barcelona’s new technical director Robert Fernandez revealed that Neymar’s contract talks are being planned at the moment, although he didn’t give any indication as to how long the deal would be or whether the deal would make the Brazilian the second highest earner at the club behind Lionel Messi.
"It's an issue that we will solve soon," Fernandez said, as quoted in the Express. "We'll talk with the father. We are very calm because everything that the player and his people convey, is that they want a continuation. And we want to continue. We must find a formula so that everyone wins.”
He went on to add: “I will not start on the years and the amounts, or whether he will be the second highest paid because those are issues that the board should evaluate."
Neymar doesn’t yet have the maturity to lead Brazil: Leonardo
Former Brazil International Leonardo spoke about the ever-improving Neymar and admitted that while the player is fantastic, he needs to develop his maturity to be able to lead the Brazil national team. The statements made by the current director of football at Paris Saint-Germain were made in reference to the recent 2015 Copa America that took place in Chile, where the star was given a four-match ban after losing his cool against Colombia.
"Neymar is a great player but he doesn't yet have the maturity to lead Brazil and take charge of a team," said Leonardo, as per ESPN. “He was criticised a lot when he played in Brazil. He just wanted to have the ball and dribble so that he could score and make the difference.”
"Now he has learned to play without the ball. I didn't think he would be able to do it, but it is a question of mentality. Before he couldn't shoot penalty kicks and now he is a great specialist. There are so many ways that players can improve."
Neymar is currently on international duty with his national side and suffered a minor setback during training, according to Marca. He is unlikely to be risked for the friendlies against Costa Rica and the United States but if all goes well, he should be ready in time for Barcelona’s away trip to face Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderon.