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Jose Mourinho personally contacted Neymar before he left Barcelona for PSG

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The Portuguese tried to bring Neymar to Old Trafford (Picture: Getty)

Jose Mourinho tried to convince Neymar to join Manchester United when he decided to leave Barcelona but the clubs hierarchy baulked at his price tag, according to reports.

The Brazilian became the most expensive player in history when he completed a £198million move to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017.

PSGs decision to deposit Neymars release clause at La Liga offices concluded a summer-long transfer saga, with a number of other European giants reaching out to his entourage.

Mourinhos desire to sign Neymar was not shared by Uniteds hierarchy (Getty)

The Daily Record report that United were one of those clubs, and Mourinho personally contacted to Neymar in an effort to bring him to Old Trafford.

Mourinho spoke to Neymar about moving to Manchester, but club bosses were less enthusiastic and did not want to pursue a target who would cost more than double their previous transfer record.

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United did back Mourinho in the transfer market that summer though, signing Victor Lindelof, Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic for almost as much as Neymar would have cost.

According to the Daily Record, Neymar is already itching to leave Paris – but United are not considering offering him an escape route this time either due to how much he would cost.

Neymar reportedly does not get on particularly well with Mbappe (Picture: Getty)

There is a clause in his contract that will allow him to leave for a fee of £190m in the summer of 2020, though he wants to get out even sooner.

Neymar left Barca to get out of the shadow of Lionel Messi, but now feels he has found himself back in the shadow of another player – Kylian Mbappe – and is keen to leave France.