Why would Neymar want to join Manchester United?

If you've been keeping even half an eye on the all-consuming behemoth that is the summer transfer window, you'll know that there's a hot new rumour doing the rounds.
It involves Manchester United and Neymar, whose international agent, Pini Zahavi, was spotted at Old Trafford at the weekend. It supposedly involves a bid of €190million, the value of the striker's buyout clause at Barcelona.
Mainly, though, it involves the kind of suspension of belief that would put the world's most ardent Scientologists to shame.
Not because it is hard to imagine United harbouring ambitions of signing Neymar – heaven knows Ed Woodward is a dreamer – but because it is difficult to see why on earth Neymar would harbour ambitions of playing for Manchester United.

 

Neymar won the Champions League last season

Let's compare and contrast.
The Brazilian plays for a team who secured a historic treble last season and must be considered the best side in the world. Manchester United are not even the best team in their city.
He lines up alongside Luis Suarez, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi, for whom his admiration has been obvious dating back to his time at Santos. At Manchester United, he would play alongside Wayne Rooney, a man who forgot how to play football three years ago and whose potential educational value – aside from as a cautionary tale about the perils of burnout – is probably minimal.

 

 

Neymar has clicked with Messi and Suarez

Then there are the coaches: would this most enigmatic, instinctive of players willingly trade the freedom afforded to him by Luis Enrique for a taste of Louis van Gaal's pass-pass-turn-around-pass-rinse-repeat human jigsaw puzzle?
It is not as if Neymar's progress has been anything less than stellar at Barcelona, either. Since arriving in Catalonia, he has made a mockery of those who had him down as a flighty YouTube trickster. His goal record last season – 39 in 51 games – speaks of a player growing in stature, while all evidence points to his being settled in Spain. His former girlfriend and his son, Davi Lucca, are considering moving to Barcelona to be closer to him.
Why would he possibly forego all of that?

 

Neymar has repeatedly stressed his admiration for Messi

Really, there are only two possible reasons he would even consider it. The first is money: Neymar's dad/agent/puppet master has already proven himself to be a wheeler-dealer of the most depressing sort and it would be little surprise if he pressed for a move it was financially beneficial.
But then... come on. According to Forbes, Neymar earns over $30million a year between wages and sponsorship deals, a figure that will only rise as his career goes on. Surely even Neymar Sr's nefarious influence could not convince the forward to sacrifice so much for an extra few million pounds over the length of a contract.
The second thing is prestige: the certainty that he would be the main attraction rather than a member of the supporting cast. Perhaps he fancies stepping out of Messi's shadow.