Neymar on verge of record-breaking move

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Neymar Jr is expected to complete the biggest transfer in football history this week.

The Brazilian striker is predicted to leave FC Barcelona to join French team Paris Saint-German for a buy-out transfer fee of 222 million euros (US$263 million).

Neymar's record-breaking transfer is set to be completed by this weekend with the French club poised to pay his release clause.

Neymar's agent Wagner Ribeiro was quoted on Spanish radio as saying PSG would pay the fee specified in the player's Barcelona contract and his client was en route to finalize the deal.

The fee is more than twice the current transfer world record that was set when Paul Pogba moved last year from Juventus to Manchester United for 105 million euros.

Neymar arrived at Barcelona's training ground on Wednesday to tell team mates he was moving to Paris, Catalan radio RAC1 reported. The Brazilian striker left the training area minutes later, it said.

Neymar signed a new Barcelona contract in October that runs until 2021.

Brazilian soccer player Neymar drives to arrive at Joan Gamper training camp near Barcelona, Spain, August 2, 2017. /Reuters Photo

His move to PSG has been heavily flagged in European media but has yet to be completed.

In an interview published on Wednesday, the president of the national football league, Javier Tebas said the league would not accept payment by PSG to trigger the release clause.

It would potentially in breach of Uefa Financial Fair Play rules, he told Spanish sports newspaper AS.

But Sky Sports News reported a Uefa source as saying that La Liga did not have the power to block the transfer, which was a matter for the clubs.

Uefa did not immediately reply to a Reuters inquiry on the matter.

Brazilian soccer player Neymar drives to the training ground near Barcelona, Spain, August 2, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Under the fair play rules, which Andrea Traverso, Uefa's FFP project leader, was last week quoted by Italian newspaper Gazetta dello Sport as saying PSG were currently following, a club's wage bill must not exceed 70 percent of its revenue.

550,000 euros a week?

Barcelona tweeted shortly after the radio report that Neymar did not train on Wednesday with the permission of the coach.

Barcelona's Brazilian forward Neymar during the International Champions Cup (ICC) match between Juventus FC and FC Barcelona, in New Jersey, on July 22, 2017. /AFP Photo‍

In another twitter posting restricted to the sports press, the club said he was leaving but gave no further details. That tweet was confirmed to Reuters by a spokeswoman.

Media sources across Europe reported that Neymar will now head to Paris to continue negotiations on a potential six-year deal worth more than 550,000 euros a week. The 25-year-old only arrived back in Spain on Tuesday after trips to China and the Middle East.

Neymar has been active on social media, sharing an excerpt from the New Testament (Philippians 4:11) on Instagram which said, "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances."

(Source: Reuters)

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