Reports: PSG, Manchester United and Real Madrid step up pursuit to sign Barcelona star Neymar
Neymar’s future has been subject to intense speculation in the last few weeks and now according to reports from Mundo Deportivo, there is set to be a new twist in the Neymar contract renewal saga. Reports claim that Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and Real Madrid have all sent representatives to Brazil in order to convince Neymar to make a move in this summer's transfer window.
The Spanish publication claims that Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain are the favourites to sign the Brazilian superstar and are willing to offer him close to double the salary offered by Barcelona. PSG are ready to make a stunning €50m-a-year (£38.7m, $56.5m) salary offer.
Wagner Ribiero, one of Neymar’s agents himself confirmed that three clubs were ready to meet Neymar’s release clause reported to be around €190 million.
Neymar delaying signing contract extension with Barcelona
The alarm bells really started to ring in Barcelona when there were reports of PSG offering him €50m-a-year and they have now sent their club chief Raul Sanllehi to Brazil to convince Neymar to sign the contract extension.
PSG, Manchester United and Real Madrid have not sat back however, and Mundo Deportivo claims that they too have sent their representatives to convince Neymar to move in the summer. Manchester United have their very best man, Pini Zahavi on the job. Zahavi has worked closely with Manchester United before and has played a crucial role in the signings of Carlos Tevez and Rio Ferdinand.
Real Madrid might also manage to pull off a shock transfer for Neymar as they have Wagner Ribiero himself pushing for the deal. Ribiero has close connections to Los Blancos officials and he might prove to be a trump card for Real Madrid. If Neymar does move to Real Madrid, it will be one of the biggest shocks of this transfer window.
PSG are in pole position to sign the forward however, and they are looking at Neymar to fill the giant sized hole left by the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Officials at the Catalan club were hoping to end the saga in the coming weeks as terms of the deal to stay at Nou Camp were agreed with the players' father, Neymar Senior, months ago.
However, the future of Neymar now looks uncertain and it will be interesting to see where the Brazilian captain will be playing next season.