Neymar has agreed a five-year deal with French giants Paris Saint-Germain and is due in Paris within the next two days to finalise the biggest transfer in world football history, Sky Sports writes.
The football world was stunned with reports that Neymar had decided to leave Barcelona in a world record deal to join Qatari-backed PSG in the Ligue 1, and despite initial denials by both player and club, the switch has finally materialized.
According to Sky Sources, Neymar, 25, had already decided to make the shock switch after talks with his agent in Rio de Janeiro in early July, before he joined Barca’s pre-season tour of the United States.
It is understood that those present at the meeting were Neymar, his father and super-agent Pini Zahavi, who has brokered the deal.
He is expected to arrive in the French capital by Friday at the latest to complete the deal said to be worth a staggering £450m (€500m), inclusive of wages, bonuses and a buyout clause of £198m (€222m).
Barca reportedly demanded that the buyout clause will have to be “deposited in its entirety”.
The former Santos star has been offered a basic salary of £26.8m-a-year (€30m) after tax, around £515,000-a-week.
A source close to the deal said the player’s decision was less about the financial benefits, but a desire to carve his own niche.
“People will say this has been driven by money, but he wants to become the leader at the club. He wants to be independent, and wants to win the Ballon d’Or. He believes he can do that in Paris,” he said.
Barca talisman Lionel Messi all but confirmed the deal today when he took to Instagram to post a moving tribute to the Brazil star.
Spanish media reports that the Catalans have lined up a number of replacements for the flambuoyant Brazil with Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann on top of the list.
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