José Mourinho tried to bring Neymar to Manchester United | OneFootball

José Mourinho wanted to sign Neymar before he moved from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain.

At least, that’s according to Daily Record journalist Duncan Castles, who claims Manchester United boss Mourinho personally telephoned Neymar in an attempt to bring him to Old Trafford.

Neymar is said to have been open to the move, too, but the Red Devils hierarchy were unwilling to double the world transfer record to sign the Brazilian, and any hope of a deal quickly collapsed.

The 26-year-old ultimately moved to PSG in an incredible €222m deal but his time in the French capital has not always been plain sailing, and the Daily Record also claim he is itching to leave the club at the earliest possible opportunity.

The former Barça star is understood to have left Camp Nou in order to escape Lionel Messi’s shadow but he has subsequently seen a large portion of the limelight stolen from him by the emergence of teen sensation Kylian Mbappé.

“Neymar left Barça because he didn’t want to spend any more time in Messi’s shadow,” according to “a source” quoted by the Daily Record.

“But he actually liked Messi. Now he is in Mbappé’s shadow at PSG, and he doesn’t like Mbappé.”

A clause in Neymar’s contract reportedly means he can leave Les Parisiens in the summer of 2020 for €215m but he is said to be hoping to make his escape sooner than that.

If PSG are punished for falling foul of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations, the Ligue 1 champions may be forced to part with one of their most expensive assets for a knockdown fee.

But it would probably have to be a pretty big discount in order to convince Manchester United to go back in for him.