Barcelona Transfer News: Robin Van Persie Rumours Addressed, Latest on Neymar

Fenerbahce have moved to silence speculation that forward Robin van Persie is unhappy at the club amid rumours Barcelona could be targeting the Dutchman as a depth option in January, while Neymar's father has sent a warning to the Spanish authorities, saying his son may be forced to leave La Liga.

Veteran striker Van Persie has been linked with a transfer to Barcelona or PSV Eindhoven following rumours he's not settling well in Turkey, but Fenerbahce released a statement to counter claims he could be on his way out.

Per the Daily Star's James Phillips, it read: “Over recent days there were many transfer reports about Robin van Persie in the media. But these are against our player's motivation. We don't have any idea for selling him and he wants to stay with us too. He is a valuable player of our squad and he is going to play for us.”

The 32-year-old enjoyed a solid start to his Fenerbahce career, moving to Turkey from Manchester United during the summer, but his form has taken a turn for the worse of late. He hasn't scored in five consecutive matches, per WhoScored.com.

He was also dropped from the Netherlands' national squad after the team failed to qualify for Euro 2016, playing a big part by scoring an own-goal in the crucial qualifier against the Czech Republic.

It's been a fast and unexpected fall from grace for the former Arsenal man, who was one of the biggest stars of the 2014 World Cup and was seen as one of the Premier League's top strikers just one year ago.

One might wonder why Barcelona would be interested in a veteran striker whose best days seem to be long behind him, but as an experienced depth option, a January move makes sense. The Blaugrana lack depth in the attacking third, which has been highlighted by injuries to Lionel Messi and Rafinha in the past few months.

The Catalans have taken chances on veteran strikers before, with Sweden's Henrik Larsson being the best example. Larsson didn't feature all that much for Barcelona during his time there, but he played a crucial role in the 2006 Champions League final against Arsenal, assisting both of the goals in a 2-1 win.

For a minimal investment, Van Persie could be a risk worth taking. If he never rediscovers his old form, the Catalans can just cut their losses and move on. Fenerbahce won't be easy to negotiate with, however, as it seems the Turks are desperate to keep the Dutchman in Istanbul.

JOSEP LAGO/Getty Images

Neymar's father has told Spanish radio network Cadena SER (h/t Goal.com's Chris Davie) his son is seriously considering a move away from La Liga following persistent issues with his taxes and the Spanish authorities. The 23-year-old is still being investigated in Spain and Brazil, and while he's still negotiating a contract renewal with Barcelona, he won't sign anything unless the other matters are resolved.

And if that doesn't happen, Neyman's father said the forward won't hesitate to leave Barcelona and find a new club:

"

We are talking about renewal but we are need to solve some things.

We need to know if Spain accepts our situation. It's hard for us because we are receiving many attacks, from Brazil and from Spain. Neymar is a star and works his image here and from Brazil. 

[...]I do not want to talk about persecution but if we don't have a comfortable situation to work we can not stay in Spain.

We never had such big fiscal problems in Brazil. After arriving Spain the attacks began and the attacks have now spread to Brazil. We will respect the contract he has with the club but we don't want a renewal without peace of mind.

"

Neymar's father stresses the fact his son will respect his current deal, and looking at his comments, it's clear the Brazil international would rather stay with Barcelona, providing his current situation gets resolved.

Blaugrana fans across the world will be hoping it will. Neymar has been nothing short of amazing since joining the club from Santos, and his scoring record looks like something from a video game, per Footy Accumulators:

As the youngest member of the Catalans' vaunted attacking front, which also includes Messi and Luis Suarez, he's expected to take over as the main star once the other two retire or leave the club.

To do so, he obviously needs to stay at the club, and while it's far too early to start panicking, these latest comments from his entourage are rather worrying. The Spanish authorities have shown no sign of slowing down the investigation, and if that's what's holding back his decision to renew, Neymar may be forced to wait a long time before he actually puts pen to paper.

Follow @ReverschPass