Barcelona winger Neymar. (Photo : Getty Images)
Manchester United officials and coaches are on "high alert" these days as reports of Neymar halting negotiations over a new contract with Barcelona went out in Spain.
The Daily Express indicated that Barça is keen on extending the Brazil international's current contract, which will expire in June of 2018, to keep him for the long term and possibly the whole of his prime years.
However, Spanish news agencies said that Neymar is in "no such rush" to finalize anything with the Catalonia giants this early as the 23-year-old winger's camp is reportedly interested in what Louis van Gaal and the Red Devils has to offer.
Van Gaal tried to lure the Seleção captain out of Camp Nou this summer, and Neymar himself admitted he had considered moving to Old Trafford, but no deal was pushed through after much deliberation.
The rumored cost of Neymar was a humongous £240 million, almost three times of the world record and the largest by far in football history. The current record was set by Gareth Bale at £85.3 million when he moved from the Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid in 2013.
Meanwhile, ESPN reported that Barcelona's technical director Roberto Fernandez insisted that Neymar would remain with the team "for life" and they willing to do anything to retain him.
Fernandez revealed that they are on target to offer Neymar a "new and improved deal" that would make him the club's second-highest paid player behind superstar Lionel Messi, which they hope the Brazilian would accept and be happy with.
Fernandez also disclosed that Barça is open to acquiring new players this coming winter transfer window, with Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho, Neymar's close friend and Brazilian teammate, as a primary target.
