Barcelona say new Neymar deal will be the club's marquee summer signing despite Manchester United links

Barcelona's economic vice president, Susana Monje, has said that committing Neymar's future to the club with a new contract will be the Catalans' marquee signing of the summer. The Brazilian international's father recently revealed that the player had received a lucrative offer to move to Manchester United, but Monje says the player will put pen to paper at the Nou Camp instead.

Luis Enrique had been eager to sign Celta Vigo forward Nolito during the January transfer window. The board, however, did not sign off on any new additions due to the club's economic statutes, which state that any board that allows Ebitda (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation) multiplied by two to exceed the club's overall debt must stand down.

The situation sparked doubts as to whether Barcelona will be able to retain all their major assets this summer, with Neymar receiving repeated come-ons regarding a big-money move to Old Trafford.

However, Monje says that despite the club's self-imposed financial restrictions, Barcelona will have the cash to splash in the summer – and the first priority is a new deal for Neymar to reward him for his role in the MSN attacking trio and ward off circling suitors.

"Yes of course [in the summer we will be able to sign again]. There is always a budget for signings. And I tell you one thing – the most important signing ahead of next season is the renewal of Neymar's contract," the Barcelona chief said to La Vanguardia. "Everything is going well. The player is happy and that's the most important thing."

Some reports in Spain have suggested that the renewal of Neymar is effectively complete, but the club are unable to make it official until the end of the financial year in July due to the club's debt.

Monje said: "Now we must focus on winning titles. There's a time [to speak about Neymar's renewal]. Neymar has a contract until 2018. There have already been talks. Here is a project that Neymar likes and Barcelona have the resources to renew the deal. It is not easy to have the number one in Messi, the number two and the number three, but our economic management allow us to have it.

"The summer will be busy. I am sure. But our big signing will be Neymar."

President Josep Maria Bartomeu made clear, during a recent interview with the Daily Mail, that none of Barcelona's key stars will be lured by the richies of the Premier League, as they are all happy at the Nou Camp.

When asked about the Manchester United's reported intention of paying Neymar's €190m (£148m, $209.5m) release clause in full, Bartomeu replied: "We'll see. We're convinced that our players are happy at the club, in the city. They enjoy playing here. I can assure you that they won't move simply for money.

"We know that Messi could earn more at another club. The same goes for Neymar, [Sergio] Busquets, [Gerard] Pique and Luis Suarez. Neymar and Luis had better offers that they turned down to come here. They chose to come here because we're more than a club. We care about more than football. We're close to children all over the world thanks to UNICEF. It's just one of the things that helps to create an atmosphere in which we see ourselves as more than just a club."