>
Brazilian football superstar Neymar has finally agreed to move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in a world record deal that could eventually be worth £450million.
Sky Sports reports that he is expected to arrive in Paris latest by Friday to complete his move. PSG has yet to confirm whether an agreement has been reached.
Barcelona spokesman Josep Vives Wednesday morning confirmed Neymar has asked to leave the club.
Real reason he decided to leave Barcelona
Sky Sports quotes a source close to the player as saying: “Since he decided to leave, Neymar has had to deal with huge pressure to stay at Barcelona. His teammates wanted him to stay but his decision was made.
“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.”
The deal total
It is understood the total value of the five-year deal is worth nearly £450m (€500m) – including wages, bonuses and a buyout clause of £198m (€222m).
Salary
Neymar will earn £515,000 a week as he was offered a basic salary of £26.8m a year (€30m) after tax
Barcelona confirmed the buyout clause will have to be “deposited in its entirety”.
Financial Fair Play
To beat the financial fair play rules of UEFA, PSG, a Qatari-owned club, reportedly tied the deal to the 2022 World Cup promotions.
Mundo Deportivo reported that Neymar may have already agreed to become an ambassador for Qatar’s World Cup and that the fee for this might be around £200m.
Reports say Neymar will sign the ambassadorial contract in Qatar to avoid tax issues in France.