Neymar may live in the shadows of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez's goalscoring feats, but the importance of the Brazilian at Barcelona shouldn't be brought into question.

When the forward arrived at the Camp Nou for £48.6 million as a 21-year-old back in 2013, it was the sign of the Catalan giants' intent to introduce the heir to Messi's throne.

The Argentinian, along with Suarez, netted a combined 91 goals in 2016/17. The latter has a prolific record in front of goal himself, but there remains a weight of expectation for Neymar to take over from Messi.

Neymar netted just 20 in comparison, which in almost any other team across the world would be considered to be a great season.

But having to work alongside Barcelona's attacking heavyweights has not allowed the Brazil international to flourish in the way he is capable of - many expect.

The 25-year-old has previously considered the possibility of switching Barcelona for either Manchester United or Paris Saint-Germain. But lucky for the Blaugrana, nothing has ever come of it.

Barcelona have absolutely no intention of selling Neymar and are expectant that he will step up to, somehow, fill Messi's boots when the time has come for him to call it a day.

And that is why the Spanish giants inserted a huge release clause in the Selecao star's contract, when he penned a new five-year deal last summer.

Neymar's release clause rises significantly

According to Marca, Neymar's release clause will automatically increase to 222 million euros - £192.5 million - as of July 1, 12 months after his new contract was signed. While it will rise to 250 million euros within the next year.

That almost guarantees the Brazilian to be at the Camp Nou going into the peak years of his career and all but rules out the possibility of Jose Mourinho luring the forward to the Theatre of Dreams.

Although a number of club's financial power appears to increase continuously, it doesn't currently seem that any of the world's biggest clubs have yet to show an interest to meet Neymar's release clause.

Barca reassure Neymar of his future

The Brazilian has been assured he will play a vital part in Barcelona's long-term future, with the club hoping that when Messi does one day retire, Neymar's presence will secure a smooth transition.

At that point, he would represent the Spanish outfit's most senior attacking player - with, by that point, both Messi and Suarez being part of Barcelona's illustrious past.