Barcelona have had a second bid for Neymar rejected by Santos, according to the Brazilian club's vice-president Odilio Rodrigues.
The Blaugrana have been the most active club in their interest towards the Brazil international and, on Wednesday, held showdown talks with Santos and reportedly offered a €20 million fee to the South American side in an attempt to secure their 55 per cent portion of the player's rights.
With arch-rivals Real Madrid increasing the intensity of their pursuit of the forward, Barca's second bid shows their desire to finalise a deal but Rodrigues insists that the Sao Paulo outfit will not be forced into a sale for a lower figure than they would like.
"Santos analysed [Barca's] bid that we received and it doesn't meet our estimation," he told reporters. "It was not accepted.
"We only had only one offer on the table [previously] and the club's committee understands that it is not what we want. Neymar remains part of the club - he has a contract running until 2014."
Madrid's interest has not been as apparent in recent weeks as Barca's, but Rodrigues revealed that the Liga side are also chasing Neymar, although they have yet to launch an official bid.
He added: "Real Madrid are interested, but we only speak about facts."
Due to Neymar's contract running out next year, Santos are faced with the prospect of selling for cheaper than they might have wanted - his release clause is believe to be around €65m - or risk losing him on a free transfer in 2014.
Neymar has previously made clear his desire to stay until after World Cup 2014, though a move to Europe in the upcoming transfer window is looking increasingly likely.