Barcelona Transfer News: Neymar, Lionel Messi, More Discussed by Josep Bartomeu

Barcelona are expecting star forward Neymar to renew his contract with the club but not until the end of the current season, according to Blaugrana president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

Per Mundo Deportivo (h/t Football Espana), Bartomeu spoke openly about the Brazilian’s future, his attacking companions Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, and the players who will join up with the Barcelona squad in January.

On Neymar’s contract, Bartomeu dashed any hopes of an imminent extension:

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We’re now focused on the end of the season and the competitions, though I think it would be good if [Neymar’s renewal] was done towards the end of the season so as not to be distracted. Barca want Neymar to retire here and he is happy at the club, in the city, with his teammates, so hopefully he stays until he retires.

Although there is no great concern that Neymar will be on the move any time soon, there has been some speculation surrounding a transfer.

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David Ramos/Getty Images

As reported by Jack de Menezes of the Independent, the Brazilian revealed there has been interest from Manchester City. De Menezes also wrote that Manchester United tried their luck on signing the forward last summer.

According to AS journalist Javier Matallanas (h/t Sport), Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is also "obsessed" with bringing Neymar to the capital.

It’s little surprise there is plenty of interest, as Neymar has established himself as one of the standout players in world football. Goals have been easy to come by this season, with 14 in La Liga so far, and as we can see here, courtesy of OptaJose, the Brazilian has also been a creative force to be reckoned with:

He’s been helped by the two excellent forwards alongside him in Messi and Suarez. They have left many a defence powerless to cope with their attacking class throughout the course of the campaign, and Bartomeu thinks the game has never seen a better attacking unit.

"I’ve never seen players of this quality and they have such a good understanding," he said. "The image of the three is one of success but behind it is a lot of work and effort. We fought to bring Neymar and then Suarez, and there was criticism but no one remembers now what we paid. His contribution is impeccable."

Chris Brunskill Ltd/Getty Images

There are few who will deny the class of this attacking trident. Not only do they play in an aesthetic manner, but they’re also effective, scoring at critical times in games and producing when it really matters.

As we can see here, courtesy of the Champions League Twitter feed, Messi, in particular, has a knack for finding the net in the biggest games:

Still, the trio can't do everything alone, and after a couple of transfer windows during which Barcelona have been unable to bring in any new faces, manager Luis Enrique will be delighted to have some more options available from January onwards. That’s because Aleix Vidal and Arda Turan will be allowed to feature for the Blaugrana.

Needless to say, Bartomeu is extremely excited to see those new recruits in action at the Camp Nou: 

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Aleix Vidal is a player we took time following and had the advantage of having already been in our house. He’s young, a fighter and he has experience and I’m sure when he makes his debut from January 4 we’ll like him.

Arda Turan is a signing I started as President, agreed with Enrique, and it was ended under the management board [after Bartomeu called elections]. He’s a quality player with a great personality and character and has a whole country behind him. He’s the man in Turkey.

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If Barcelona can get Neymar's contract sorted and get the aforementioned pair integrated into the squad quickly, 2016 looks poised to be another prosperous year for this unique football club. Given the form of the attacking players and the new faces to be added to the squad in the weeks to come, they seem well placed to retain the three titles they won in 2014-15.

Should Neymar's contract extension not be addressed until the end of the season, Barcelona fans may be a little worried, with rumours about a transfer inevitable. But Bartomeu seems intent on keeping the superb Brazilian at the club for a long while yet, and given what’s potentially in store for this team, it’s difficult to see why the player would want to go anywhere else.