Manchester United Transfer News: Latest Neymar and Nabil Fekir Rumours

Barcelona star Neymar is reportedly "considering" a move to Manchester United in the future.

That's according to Sky Sports' La Liga expert Guillem Balague (h/t Liam Corless of the Mirror), who, during a question-and-answer session, was asked if the Brazilian had been "seriously considering" joining the Old Trafford outfit in the summer.

Balague replied, "Categorically, no," but added:

"

Is he considering doing so in the future? Categorically, yes. It is going to be the saga of the next 12 months or more—his new contract with Barcelona. FCB want him to sign it now, he is not in a rush. Why? I think he feels he will not be the best player in the world while at Barcelona, with Messi leading the team. So he has to decide if he stays and waits for Messi to move on, or goes to a team that will build around him.

"

The 23-year-old recently admitted he held talks with United in the transfer window, but the Red Devils made no offers for him, according to ESPN (h/t Liam Prenderville of the Daily Mirror).

Neymar was in stunning form last season as he racked up 39 goals and 11 assists in all competitions and played a key role in securing a second La Liga-Champions League-Copa del Rey treble for the Catalan giants and has already begun this campaign with three strikes and an assist.

Jon Super/Associated Press

The forward is among the tiny handful of players set to vie for the unofficial title of "best in the world" when Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo finally show any sort of decline or hang up their boots.

Indeed, football journalist Rafael Hernandez believes that fact isn't lost on Barca's higher-ups:

Neymar would, of course, be a stunning capture for any side, but United stand to benefit in particular as they are still lacking significant firepower up front.

Wayne Rooney has scored just one Premier League goal this season as he broke an almost 1,000-minute goal drought on Saturday, per Squawka Football.

New signing Anthony Martial has been in phenomenal form since arriving from Monaco in the summer, but at just 19, it's unlikely he'll be able to find the net consistently over sustained periods for several more years.

Neymar's flair, creativity and outstanding goal contribution would restore the Red Devils' status as perennial title-challengers and potentially see them challenging for the Champions League once again.

Convincing him to leave the Camp Nou will be an incredible task, but as Ballague notes, at Old Trafford he would well and truly be the main man, free of Lionel Messi's shadow.

B/R's own Sam Tighe gives his take on whether United can capture the superstar:

If they're unable to land Neymar, they could do a lot worse than Lyon's Nabil Fekir.

According to Fichajes.net, via Metro's Will Giles, United are eyeing a deal for the Frenchman next summer.

The forward netted 15 goals and laid on 13 assists in all competitions last season as he won Ligue 1's Young Player of the Year Award. His dribbling was particularly strong, per WhoScored.com:

Here are some of the 22-year-old's impressive highlights:

Indeed, football writer Philippe Auclair believes Fekir to be the best player in the league—high praise given some of the other names at Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain.

He began the current campaign in much the same vein as his last, bagging four goals and an assist, but unfortunately, injury will now see him sit out for up to six months.

Nevertheless, the up-and-coming Fekir would still make a strong acquisition for United for much the same reasons as Neymar, though admittedly the Brazilian is currently operating on another level.

Provided he is able to recover from his injury, United should pursue Fekir, who would be costly but is a far more realistic target than Neymar.