Neymar close to penning new Barca deal
Neymar is close to signing a three-year contract extension with Barcelona that will tie the Brazil captain to the La Liga champions until June 2021.
|||Barcelona - Neymar is close to signing a three-year contract extension with Barcelona that will tie the Brazil captain to the La Liga champions until June 2021, club president Josep Maria Bartomeu announced on Thursday.
The 24-year-old forward is a reported target of top European clubs and his current deal expires in June 2018. El Mundo Deportivo reported on Thursday that Manchester United were launching a “total offensive” to acquire Neymar.
The Catalan based newspaper had stated earlier this month that Paris Saint-Germain had offered the South American a wage package of 30 million euros ($33.40 million) net per season, which is double what he receives at Barca.
But Bartomeu told a news conference on Thursday: “Neymar does not want to leave Barca and we don't want him to go.
“In the next few days we will announce his contract renewal for five seasons. It's normal that many clubs are interested in Neymar but our club members need to be calm because our club's lawyers and Neymar will iron out the minor details in the coming days.”
Neymar completed his third year at Barca in 2015-16 since joining from Santos and scored 31 goals in 48 appearances to help the club win the league and the King's Cup.
He did not play at the Copa America this month in order to rest but is currently in Brazil and will compete at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August. – Reuters