Neymar Sr reveals Manchester United summer offer for his son
Barcelona forward Neymar Jr’s father confirmed that Manchester United made an attempt to sign his son during the summer transfer window, according to Fox Sports. However, Neymar Sr has revealed neither his son nor the club had an interest in accepting the offer.
United have been on a spending spree for the past two seasons under their Dutch manager Louis Van Gaal. During the summer, they acquired the services of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Anthony Martial and Morgan Schnederlin to name a few. From these signing, it’s fair to say that United are a club who’s not afraid to spend ‘big’ in the transfer market.
In August, the Catalan club denied rumors that the Premier League giant had made a world-record offer for the Brazil captain, and the player himself denied the claim as there was no concrete evidence. The highly coveted Brazillian superstar had been heavily linked to joining the Red Devils towards the end of the transfer window.
Neymar was highly influential in his side’s treble-winning campaign, scoring 39 goals in all competition. He formed a lethal attacking partnership along with teammates Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. It’s no surprise the Old Trafford club were keen on securing his services.
Neymar Sr, who guides his son’s career, has admitted that United were ready to make a move on the Barcelona forward during summer.
"Barcelona's directors came to speak with us,” he said in an interview with FOX.
“They said that United had made an offer, but that they didn't have any interest in accepting it. We also said that we didn't want to and the matter ended there."
According to reports, the Red Devils were prepared to spend as much as £240 million for the former Santos forward. The fee included the buyout and long-term contract.
As of now, Neymar is on contract with the Blaugrana side until June 2018 and the club are looking to extend his contract by offering him a lucrative deal. However, the contract talks have been stalled due to the 23-year-old's recent legal trouble halting any immediate movement on a new deal. Last month, a Brazillian court froze Neymar’s assets, his family and related businesses valued at £48 million after alleging he evaded £16 million in taxes between 2011 and 2013.
Neymar was left out of the national squad for their World Cup qualifiers last week. He will be back on the field for Barcelona on Saturday, when the defending La Liga champions host Rayo Vallecano at Nou Camp.