Neymar to be offered lucrative Barcelona payrise after big-money Manchester United offer

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Barcelona are ready to offer a lucrative payrise to Neymar after the Brazilian international was recently tempted with a big money move to Manchester United, according to Sport. The Catalan-based newspaper has claimed that the Premier League giants offered him around £280,000 a week to make him Louis van Gaal's main signing of the summer transfer window. Late last month (24 August 2015), website Globo Esporte broke the news when it reported that after missing out on Barcelona's Pedro Rodriguez to Chelsea, the Red Devils made a €190m (£140m) bid to secure the services of Neymar. The Guardian said last week that that the former Santos star was also open to the idea of moving to Old Trafford this summer.

Neymar later responded to rumours suggesting that he was not keen to leave the Camp Nou at any price, but suggested there was eventually a big money offer on the table. "'I want to stay at Barcelona, no matter how many million-pound offers come from England," Neymar said, as quoted by Sport. "The people from Barca can be calm. When I hear things like this, I don't think anything. I just heard it and I am calm. I am very happy at Barca and with my colleagues."

Meanwhile, club president Josep Maria Bartomeu claimed that Barcelona were not interested in selling him, and that they would commit to his long-term future at the Camp Nou with a new deal. "We do not want Neymar to leave. He is young and we want him to retire here at our club," Bartomeu said, as quoted by Goal. "We will discuss Neymar's renewal in some months' time as he must stay here – not only for the next three seasons, but for the next five or 10."

Sport claims that the rumours have urged Barcelona to address the issue of interest from elsewhere, and is soon to offer the player almost double his current wages to make him stay – which would put him just behind Leo Messi in terms of the squad's biggest earners. Nevertheless, the Catalan newspaper understands that the club will not be able to match United's offer to the player: the Premier League giants tried to tempt Neymar with a £14.5m a year (around £280,000 a week) salary, which is almost what Messi is currently earning at the Camp Nou.