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Barcelona have confirmed the club has received payment for Neymar’s £198m buyout clause, meaning he is now free to complete his world-record transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.
The deal had hit a stumbling block after La Liga refused to accept a cheque presented by Neymar’s lawyers at their Madrid headquarters earlier on Thursday that settled the release clause for the Brazilian striker.
But a statement from Barcelona said: “On Thursday afternoon Neymar’s legal representatives visited in person the club’s offices and made the payment of €220m (£198m) in the player’s name with regards to the unilateral termination of the contract that united both parties.
“As such, the club will pass on to UEFA the details of the above operation so that they can determine the disciplinary responsibilities that may arise from this case.”
La Liga president Javier Tebas has said he would not accept the French club’s money as he thought it would violate UEFA’s financial fair play rules.
But UEFA later insisted the move does not automatically break those rules because Paris Saint-Germain have time to balance their books.
In a statement, it said: “The transfer of Neymar to PSG will have an effect on the club’s finances over several years but the impact of such an operation cannot be judged in advance, notably as PSG could well sell several players for a significant amount.”
Neymar is due to arrive in Paris on Friday to complete the deal, according to sources.
The French club are thought to be offering the 25-year-old a five-year contract with a basic salary of £26.8m a year – around £515,000 a week.
If the transfer goes through, it would be for more than double the previous record set by Manchester United’s purchase of Paul Pogba from Juventus last year for €105m (£95m).