Are Jose Mourinho and Manchester United set to trigger Neymar's $200 million release clause?

The list of players linked with a move to Manchester United continues to grow with Barcelona star Neymar the latest to be linked. Jose Mourinho is looking to make Manchester United one of the most feared clubs in Europe again and is ready to break their current transfer record to land the Brazilian sensation.

Also read: Manchester United close to completing deal for Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann

Reports say that Mourinho has been constantly calling Neymar in order to convince him to move to Old Trafford. The Brazilian has a release clause of around £173 million and Mourinho is ready to pay that amount in full to secure his services. He is also willing to offer him a weekly wage of £415,000, which is double of what he is earning at Barcelona at the moment.

In a recent interview, Neymar said that he would love to play in the Premier League at some point in his career saying there are coaches with whom any player would want to work with. 

"You have high-level coaches like Mourinho and [Pep] Guardiola. These are coaches with whom any player would like to work. In the Premier League you never know who is going to win or who will be champions, it is always a surprise. The Premier League is a championship that amazes me, I like the playing style and the teams. And who knows, someday, I would like to play at it, yes," Daily Star quoted Neymar as saying.

However, if Manchester United really want to sign Neymar they need to qualify for the Champions League next season. Manchester United are currently in the fifth place in the Premier League, four points and two games behind Liverpool in fourth. The Red Devils will face a tough fight to finish in the top four with the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal all eyeing to finish in the top four.

Even if they fail to finish in the top four, they could qualify for next year's Champions League if they win the Europa League this season. Even if they do qualify for the Champions League, there is no guarantee that Neymar will join them in the summer.

The Brazilian recently signed a new deal with Barcelona and he is rumoured to be happy with the Spanish giants at the moment. Manchester United vice-chairman Ed Woodward did try to sign Neymar in 2015 but the deal could never materialised. But now, with Mourinho in charge, he could make the switch to Premier League after admitting that he would like to play there.