Barca brush off Neymar to United rumours

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Barcelona have brushed aside media speculation linking Neymar with a world record transfer move to Manchester United and reveal the club will soon offer the Brazilian superstar a contract extension.

Reports in England claimed United were prepared to spend £240m – £130m on Neymar’s buyout clause and the remainder on tying the player to a long-term contract at Old Trafford – to acquire the 23-year-old.

“Those are just rumours and what people write but there is nothing to it,” Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu said to Catalan radio station Catalunya Radio.

“Neymar is happy at Barca. We don’t want Neymar to leave at all.

“He is a young player that has an international football projection above the norm. He has helped us a lot in our recent successes.

“In a few months’ time we will discuss his contract extension as he has three years left on his current deal.

“We want him to stay for many years, three, five, 10 or even 15 years more with us.”

Neymar joined the European champions from Santos in June 2013.

He scored 29 goals and set up seven more to help Barca win the Primera Division, Copa del Rey and Champions League treble last season.

The South American has a buyout clause set at 190million euros.

Bartomeu also confirmed that Barca will not be making any further signings until next year.

Barca signed Aleix Vidal from Sevilla and Arda Turan from Atletico Madrid earlier this summer but the new arrivals cannot play until January when the club’s transfer ban imposed by FIFA expires.

The Catalan giants were punished after breaching rules regarding the signing of under-age players.

“Unless we have serious injuries to players, we will not make any further signings this summer,” Bartomeu said.

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