Barcelona Transfer News: Dani Alves Reveals Neymar Considered Exit

Dani Alves has revealed Neymar recently considered leaving Barcelona, but he claimed he advised the Brazilian icon out of a potential move by explaining the benefits of remaining at the Camp Nou.

Alves told Spanish radio station Onda Cero (h/t Marca) the Blaugrana would be "mad" not to offer the mercurial forward a new deal, and Neymar should follow his compatriots who thrived by remaining at Barca over the years:

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No one is able to do the things he can. When he was thinking about going to play somewhere else, I told him to look back in time at the other Brazilians who have played here, whether they'd been successful here or not, and how they had subsequently got on at other clubs. The Brazilians who have played here have always fared extremely well. They must give him a new deal, they'd be mad not to. Neymar will be the one to succeed Messi.

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Neymar's future had been under scrutiny during 2015, and the player's father recently admitted Manchester United made a gigantic offer of €190 million (£144 million) last summer, per COPE (h/t George Ankers of Goal.)

“Manchester United is the side that offered €190 million for Neymar,” he told COPE. “He has still two years left on his contract but you all [the media] can be calm as my son is so happy here.”

Ankers added the Old Trafford giants were ready to activate the Brazil captain's release clause in his current deal. However, neither the player nor his father—who also acts as his agent—gave United any encouragement over a potential transfer.

Here is a video of the attacker's best moments of 2015:

Neymar's status has sharply risen since Brazil's disappointments at the 2014 World Cup on home soil, and he is quickly catching Lionel Messi in the top echelon of the sport.

Spanish football writer Sergi Dominguez said Barca are in possession of the three greatest players on the planet at the moment:

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Barca would be foolish to not tie Neymar to a long-term deal with the club, and he must be given the same regal treatment Messi receives in Catalonia. 

The forward will one day supersede the Argentina wizard as Barca's natural leader and will take his place on the list of future Ballon d'Or winners.

However, with United and Co. about to see their wealth and spending power explode due to the new Premier League TV deal, per BBC, English clubs will be watching Neymar's situation in Spain with bated breath.