Neymar: Top 6 Likely Destinations for Santos Star in Summer 2012

So, Neymar is still with Santos and will be there until 2014.

Yeah. And Rick Perry could have been President.

Back in the land of reality, Neymar is perhaps the world's hottest transfer prospect. Clubs from around Europe are lining up to sign him, even if his current club remains in denial.

Mark it down: Neymar will not stay with Santos until 2014. He will be starring in Europe by then, probably for a couple of seasons.

Don't believe it? Fine, but here are our top six (really though, it's just a top four) transfer destinations for the young, mohawked Brazilian star.

Distant No. 6: Anzhi Makhachkala

Transfer Gossip: Yes, Neymar has been linked with moneybags Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala, along with every other big-name superstar on the planet.

Really though, Anzhi only makes the list because of their money. They could feasibly throw enough cash at Neymar to make the famed beach bum forget about his homeland's warm sand and tanned bikini bods.

And with enough cash they might be able to convince him that Russia is a swell place for a young, rich superstar who's accustomed to a life of leisure and celebrity in a tropical climate.

Hey, Roberto Carlos (pictured) and Samuel Eto'o are there.

Don't count on Neymar joining them, though.

Transfer Heat Meter: Tundra and permafrost.

Distant No. 5: Arsenal

Transfer Gossip: Arsenal makes the list solely because manager Arsene Wenger once said, almost in passing that, given the chance, he'd sign Neymar.

It's not much, but then again, Arsenal probably won't ever sign Neymar. But they make the list because of that tenuous link, and they rank higher than Anzhi because London is slightly less dreary than Russia in the winter.

This is really a four-horse race.

Transfer Heat Meter: Frosty and London foggy.

4. Barcelona

Transfer Gossip: The Neymar-to-Barcelona rumors deal mostly in speculation and innuendo after the fact.

In this story, Neymar swears he didn't meet with Barcelona. In this one, Barca's vice-president says the Catalan club definitely didn't make a deal with Neymar, nor did they also secure right of first refusal.

But in this one, Barca's president takes a stab at predicting the events of 2014. And here, Lionel Messi speaks, hypothetically of course, about playing with Neymar.

We just don't see it, though. Neymar and Messi play similar styles, and the two of them would have a hard time co-existing on the pitch.

Transfer Heat Meter: Simmering on the back-burner.

3. Manchester City

Transfer Gossip: Manchester City have the money and reportedly, the desire to sign Neymar.

But does Neymar want to live in a northern town?

Transfer Heat Meter: About two-thirds of an Abu Dhabi daily high.

2. Chelsea

Transfer Gossip: Russian oil-baron owner Roman Abramovich reportedly asked Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas to overhaul his roster. Not surprisingly, Neymar heads the wishlist.

Chelsea have the money and the desire. The only question is whether Neymar would accept a move to England.

For the right money, we think he would.

Transfer Heat Meter: A frothing, smoking, Russian oil well.

1. Real Madrid

Transfer Gossip: Neymar and Real Madrid supposedly agreed to a deal in November, but it never happened. Instead, Neymar signed a new deal with Santos that would keep him at Santos through the 2014 World Cup. The terms of the contract reportedly made Neymar's compensation package comparable to that of a European star.

Later, Santos president Luis Alvaro Ribeiro complained about Madrid, calling the Spanish giants' behavior "lamentable and arrogant." That would seem to lessen the likelihood of a Neymar move to Real Madrid, but it's funny how money tends to smooth things like that over.

So the main question is whether Cristiano Ronaldo would make room for another superstar at Real. We think he would, if it meant moving ahead of Barca.

Transfer Heat Meter: How hot does it get in Madrid in the summer?