Rumors were out that defending La Liga champions FC Barcelona is considering to sell Brazilian winger Neymar for a record-breaking fee of £144 million in the summer and that English Premier League powerhouse Manchester United is in the forefront of the sale.

Caught Offside reported that United fans are "on high alert" after speculations emerged that the Catalan giants are "preparing to sell" the said world football superstar. It was said that "a bitter contract extension dispute" is the main reason that will force Barça to sell this year's FIFA Ballon d'Or candidate aside from the tax evasion cases he has faced in Spain all season long.

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The 24-year-old Brazil team captain is reportedly "seeking a pay raise from £77,000-a-week to £300,000-a-week", a more than 200% increase in salary from the one he is receiving at the moment, as per the Daily Star, which would be difficult for the club to give as they are also paying other high-profile players such as Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez in their side.

Apart from that, the report also said that Barça's recent sponsorship issues and Neymar's off-pitch lifestyle "have contributed to the club's increasing willingness to part with the Brazilian scoring machine".

It was mentioned that the Red Devils are set to be challenged by Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain for Neymar's signature this summer, although it is more likely that the Old Trafford residents will land him if Barcelona indeed decides to sell the Brazilian superstar.

"Two Catalan newspapers started a sort of campaign against Neymar, and those things never take place by chance," said Spanish football expert Guillem Balague. "It seems the club was not fully unhappy that the papers have suggested Neymar's lifestyle is not ideal for an elite player and some of his team mates are not happy with that."

"It coincided with Barcelona's defeats and of course with the fact that the club has not sorted out yet a sponsor for next season. "And without a sponsor they cannot realistically afford the renewal of Neymar, plus the consequent ones of Messi and then Luis Suárez," he added.

Of the Big Three this season, Neymar has fared the poorest on the pitch, although it is still considered an extremely high performance as compared to the rest of the league.

Suárez is the current top goalscorer in La Liga with 34 goals, followed by Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo with 31. Messi comes in at third with 25 while Neymar is fourth with 23 goals.

Tags Football Transfer Rumors, Football Transfer Rumors 2016, FC Barcelona, neymar, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona rumors