Neymar told to quit Barca, United and City on alert

NEYMAR is set to spark a £100 million (RM550m) tussle between Manchester United and Manchester City after his father urged him to quit Barcelona for the Premier League.

Neymar Snr has told his son he needs to move to England – and he hinted that Old Trafford would be the best bet – to escape life in the shadow of Lionel Messi and establish himself as the world’s No. 1 striker.

The 25-year-old is Barca’s third highest scorer with 24 goals but he is behind both Luis Suarez, who has 28, and Messi, who is top with 35.

His dad’s intervention is a boost for Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, who is a long-term admirer of the player he feared would always stay at Barca.

Neymar has scored 104 goals in 184 appearances with Barcelona who signed him from Santos in 2013.

Mourinho is also believed to be lining up a move for Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic, who he resigned from Benfica for £22 million (RM121m) in 2014 during his second spell as boss at Stamford Bridge.

The Serbian played a big part in the Blues’ Premier League triumph as he formed a strong duo with N’Golo Kante in midfield.

Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann is another marquee player Mourinho is considering bringing to Old Trafford.

Express Sport understands he has made him his No. 1 transfer target with the Portuguese boss keen on activating his £86 million (RM473m) release clause in a bid to get a deal over the line.

But with Neymar’s future at the Nou Camp being cast into doubt, Mourinho could now put all of his efforts into signing the Brazilian superstar as he bids to get United back on top in the Premier League and Europe.

However, Pep Guardiola could beat United to Neymar’s signature with the Barca striker admitting last year that he would love to play under the Spaniard.

According to Spanish website Diario Gol, Barcelona are now planning for life without the Brazilian superstar, claiming that the Catalans will use the money they generate from the sale plus the £52 million (RM286m) transfer kitty they are allocated each season to bring in new recruits.

It is said Juventus star Paulo Dybala or Borussia Dortmund ace Ousmane Dembele will replace Neymar in attack.

While Marco Verratti of Paris SaintGermain and Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin will apparently be the midfielder and defender targets Barca will look to sign.

Gabriel Jesus has urged Guardiola to keep Sergio Aguero at Manchester City – even though the Argentinean is his main source of competition at the club.

Aguero has enjoyed another prolific season at the Etihad, scoring 31 goals in 43 appearances for the club, including eight from eight in the Champions League.

However the arrival of Gabriel Jesus in January saw Aguero drop out of City’s first-team, leading to speculation that he could be tempted by a move away from the club.

However, Jesus has said that it is essential for City to keep the Argentinean at the club.

“Sergio is a very important player and essential to the club,” the Brazilian striker told TheSun.“Since the first time he arrived until now, he’s been a real star, the starting forward of the team.” – Express Newspapers/ The Independent