Barcelona Transfer News: Latest Neymar and Rafinha Rumours

Neymar will stay in Barcelona thanks to a "super contract" designed to keep him at the Camp Nou for years. That's according to Jordi Gil, writing for the English arm of Catalan newspaper Sport.

He states last season's treble winners will be encouraged to offer the player a "substantial improvement" on his current terms:

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The Brazilian wants to remove the variables and have a fixed 14 million per season. This amount would then have another three million added in incentives. Barca know that the numbers will move around these parameters, but the talks will be complex many clauses and details of all types will be discussed.

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Neymar can make that demand because Gil notes his current deal, while certainly lavish, "is not in line with what you might expect."

That's obviously a reference to the Brazilian striker's standing as one of the true stars of the global game. It's a reputation he enhanced last season when his 39 goals in all competitions, per ESPN FC, helped Barca claim three major trophies.

But recent links to Manchester United had cast some doubt on his long-term future in Spain's top flight. English tabloid the Sun (h/t the Daily Telegraph) recently claimed United would offer £240 million to sign Neymar before paying him £300,000 per week in wages.

Yet the player himself ended this talk with a fairly strong rebuttal, per Gil: "When they speak about these things I don't listen. The fans can rest easy, I am happy at Barcelona."

B/R's Sam Tighe and Ryan Bailey discussed the idea of Neymar using United to get a better deal:

It's smart to tie Neymar down for as long as possible. He developed well in his second year at the Camp Nou, even if he certainly benefits from the genius of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

But the 23-year-old still has his best football in front of him. If he produces it for Barca, the club can expect many more trophies.

Barcelona will also extend the contract of young talent Rafinha. That's according to newspaper Mundo Deportivo (h/t Football-Espana.net).

Apparently, the Catalan club is keen to keep Rafinha around until at least 2020: "Talks are said to be on track over a deal that could tie Rafinha down until the summer of 2020, or possibly 2021. His clause would also be raised from €30m."

Alvaro Barrientos/Associated Press

The report also indicates Barca and Rafinha have been locked in discussions over an extended deal "since June." Keeping the 22-year-old in the fold certainly makes sense for a club with a justified reputation for consistently turning young players into stars.

As a highly versatile attacking midfielder, Rafinha has a potentially bright future at a number of positions. He can play wide on either flank in the de facto front three Barca boss Luis Enrique loves to employ.

The young Brazilian can also be deployed in a variety of roles in the middle. With more consistency in his game, Rafinha might even emerge as a long-term successor to Andres Iniesta.

The former certainly possesses the natural flair, creative temperament and eye for goal Barca's pocket-edition, masterful metronome has made his trademarks. While he's not defensively solid, Rafinha could also eventually be groomed for a halfway-line, playmaker-style role, akin to Ivan Rakitic's current function in the team.

Whatever the future holds for Rafinha, the Camp Nou is the best place for him to develop his career.

It's also the best spot for Neymar to deliver on his full potential and maybe grow into the mantle of world's best player.