Manchester United and Santos deny £38m bid for Neymar

The Sun reported that Sir Alex Ferguson had made a last-gasp attempt to lure the 20-year-old away from the Brazilian outfit, where he has scored 111 goals in 185 appearances.

Both clubs have denied the speculation, with a Manchester United spokesperson stating "it was total rubbish."

Santos' director of football, Felipe Faro, told Globo Esporte: "I have no idea where that came from, but it's not true."

Neymar has long been linked with moves to Europe’s biggest sides, including La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid who prematurely reported to have agreed a transfer deal at different points over the last few seasons.

His father, Neymar Santos, has laughed off these recent rumours, joking: "Neymar was sold two years ago but we are still here.

"He is ready to play football. We talked a lot and the fields are the same worldwide. Of course he needs to develop. We made the choice that he will mature in Brazil.

"He will inevitably go to Europe someday, but for now he is happy in Brazil."

The young attacker, who has a £50m buy-out clause on his remaining contract, allegedly wants to remain with his boyhood club Santos until after Brazil has hosted the 2014 World Cup.

Earlier this summer, United had pursued Neymar's fellow countryman Lucas Moura but were unable raise funds for a £30 million move for the São Paulo attacker.