Neymar agreed £190million deal with Manchester United last year before late U-turn

Paris Saint-Germain are closing in on the world record signing of Neymar but it all could have been so different had the Brazilian superstar not performed an eleventh hour U-turn last summer, according to reports in France.

The 25-year-old is on the verge of a sensational £198million move to Paris Saint-Germain after he confirmed to his teammates on Wednesday he was set to depart and fled Barcelona’s training complex after just 43 minutes.

Neymar has been pushing to quit the Nou Camp after becoming aware of PSG’s interest, with it being widely accepted that the prolific forward is desperate to move to a side where he can escape from Lionel Messi’s shadow and become the star of a team built around him.

According to L’Equipe, Manchester United thought they were set to offer Neymar that platform 12 months ago having agreed to activate the release clause of €190m which existed in the former Santos star’s previous contract, before it was raised to  €220m when he signed an extension last summer.

MORE : Salah, Matic and Cuadrado feature in XI that could have been signed for the £198m Neymar fee

L’Equipe claims United had also agreed personal terms with Neymar but the PSG-bound star had a late change of heart and decided against a move to the Premier League giants.

The Ligue 1 club were said to have been apprehensive that the player could have repeated those antics but a deal that will take him to the Parc des Princes now looks imminent.

Reports throughout the week have suggested Neymar’s unveiling ceremony in the French capital is already being planned, in what will be the biggest signing for the club since they brought in Zlatan Ibrahimovic back in 2012.

MORE : Salah, Matic and Cuadrado feature in XI that could have been signed for the £198m Neymar fee