Real Madrid Transfer News: Neymar Reportedly Targeted Amid Barcelona Rumours

Real Madrid are reportedly planning an audacious swoop for Barcelona star Neymar, if the latest rumours coming from Spain are to be believed.

According to newspaper AS (h/t Goal), Los Blancos are preparing a “mega offer” in an attempt to convince the Brazil international to move to the capital, despite the player's insistence he's determined to extend his current contract with the Catalan side.

Speaking to TV3 (h/t ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan), the 23-year-old confirmed talks with the Blaugrana are ongoing, saying: "I still have some years left on my contract. I know my father speaks about my future. We are talking about extending the contract, because that is what I want to do."

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

Neymar previously confirmed he held talks with Premier League giants Manchester United during the summer, although the Red Devils never made a concrete offer for his services, per ESPN (h/t Daily Mirror's Liam Prenderville).

The Brazilian superstar has been in sensational form this season, carrying the scoring load for the Blaugrana in the absence of Lionel Messi. He's been one of the club's most impressive players since making the move to Europe from Santos, but after a breakout season last year, he has now truly established himself as one of the top attacking players in the game.

Praise for his fantastic performances has been virtually universal, and even pundits from Madrid haven't shied away from complimenting the prolific forward. Marca's Pablo Egea became the latest on Sunday:

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Neymar saw that it was time to grab the reins, carry his team on his back and insist on taking on a leading role. He seized the spotlight and he has justified his price tag, his salary and all of the problems which the club has become embroiled in since bringing him to the Camp Nou.

He is La Liga's top scorer with 14 goals in just 12 games, but his contribution to the team goes far beyond that. He has provided five assists as well. Not only is he on song in front of goal, but he is unselfish when it comes to playing in his teammates.

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That's not to say the 2015-16 campaign has been a perfect one for the forward, however. Neymar and his entourage remain embroiled in a tax evasion case that has dogged him for some time, and his father even told a Spanish radio station he could end up leaving Spain if he continues to be targeted by the authorities, per the Press Association (for the Guardian).

But on the pitch, Neymar has been nearly perfect, and during Messi's absence, he showed Barcelona the team will be fine with him as the leader once the Argentina international leaves the club. 

A transfer seems highly unlikely, unless the player asks for the move himself, whether it's due to the tax evasion investigation or for other reasons. And if he does end up leaving the Catalan giants, Real Madrid would be a shocking destination.

Top players have left Barcelona for their bitter rivals before, and fans probably don't need to be reminded of the curious case of Luis Figo. The images of the Portuguese midfielder being showered by bottles and even a pig's head by Catalan fans have become almost iconic:

As explained by Sportskeeda's Nikhil Srivastava, Spanish law requires every player to have a buyout clause in his contract, and Neymar's currently sits at an enormous £132.4 million, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Barcelona won't likely consider selling one of the top young talents in football to their hated rivals for anything less than that, and that sum would still be subject to tax, so Real's “mega offer” will have to be even higher than that, per Srivastava.

Los Blancos have bags of cash to spend, but even president Florentino Perez might baulk at such an enormous fee. And even if he was willing to spend so much money on a single player, there's no guarantee Neymar would agree to a move.

This transfer would be one of the most talked-about in the history of the sport should it ever come to pass, but it's hard to see it happening anytime soon.

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