Reports of Neymar leaving Barcelona

Neymar has developed into one of world football's biggest stars in the last couple of years, but speculation abounds that he could be about to leave Barcelona.

The brilliant Brazilian - who was not at Copa America as he instead decided to play in the Olympic Games in Rio - is believed to have a release clause in his contract standing at over £150 million.

But reports in the press have claimed Manchester United are willing to trigger that release clause as part of the huge spending expected under their new manager Jose Mourinho.

Why would he leave?

Suggestions that Neymar wants out of Barcelona look far-fetched on the surface. Barcelona are one of the most successful clubs in world football, winning La Liga two years in a row, with Neymar increasingly influential.

One of the arguments for him moving on would be that he could become the star name at another club, whereas at Barcelona he is destined to share the spotlight with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. Neymar's form also dipped noticeably in the second half of last season and a change of club might freshen him up.

However, Neymar seems quite happy as part of the feted MSN strike force and he might grow frustrated if asked to play with lesser quality players, as he does when he turns out for Brazil.

Would United be appealing?

Despite a difficult couple of years after the retirement of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United remain arguably the biggest football club on the planet.

The appointment of Jose Mourinho to replace Louis van Gaal is a massive statement of intent from the Old Trafford executives, with the Portuguese tipped to lead United back to glory.

But United did not qualify for the Champions League next season, so Neymar would have to be content with a year in the Europa League if he was to make the switch.

It is hard to see one of the top 10 players in the world giving up 12 months of his career in order to help Mourinho rebuild United.

Where else could he go?

When a player is starring at Barcelona, there are few clubs they would even consider moving to.

United's Premier League rivals Chelsea look set for another summer spending spree under their new manager Antonio Conte, but Neymar does not appear on the surface to be a good fit.

Manchester City are instead chasing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Borussia Dortmund, while Arsenal and Liverpool appear unlikely or unwilling to pay such a massive fee for one player.

Away from the Premier League, Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain certainly have the money required to buy Neymar, while they also need to find a replacement for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who left the club after scoring 50 goals in the final season of his contract.

Neymar probably would not view Ligue 1 as a big enough challenge, though, while there have been no rumours to suggest new Bayern Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti plans to bring him to the Bundesliga champions.

That leaves Real Madrid and it would be incredible for Barcelona to sell one of their prized assets to their biggest rivals - so perhaps Neymar will stay put for now.

The likeliest reason for Neymar's name being linked with clubs like United is that his agent is trying to secure a new contract to keep his client at the Nou Camp, with a giant pay rise to boot.

However, as remote as the possibility of Neymar leaving Barcelona is right now, it is inevitable that transfer rumours regarding Neymar will continue to swirl around for many years to come.