Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho wants to sign Barcelona forward Neymar, and has told the club to do whatever it takes to acquire him.
The first port of call for the Red Devils is to stall the Brazilian international’s negotiations with the Catalan giants over a new deal, which in turn will give them a chance to convince him to leave.
However, as noted by Mundo Deportivo, Barca have launched their counter-offensive by instructing their lawyers to speed up the process of his contract renewal.
Mourinho has seemingly decided that Neymar is the player to help him re-launch United next season, as the Portuguese tactician has been tasked with taking the club back to the top of English football after they suffering disappointment in recent years under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal.
United were linked with making a move for the 24-year-old last summer, and despite a number of meetings taking place, a switch to Old Trafford never materialised.
Instead, Neymar remained at the Nou Camp and scored 31 goals and provided 27 assists in 49 appearances in all competitions to help his side to another La Liga title.
Whether or not United are successful this time round remains to be seen, but it is also suggested in the report that the new contract with Barca could be wrapped up by Friday.
While that will signal an intention from Neymar that he wants to commit his long-term future to the Spanish champions, the new deal will also include an increased release clause which will naturally make it even more difficult for United to snap up their man in future.
In turn, it appears as though Mourinho is fighting a losing battle, but ultimately, he’s given the green light for United to do what is necessary and possible to give them an outside chance of bringing the world-class forward to Manchester next season.