The transfer of a lifetime is nearing its completion. Brazilian superstar Neymar Jr is now free to complete his world record transfer to Paris Saint-Germain after Barcelona confirmed late on Thursday his €222 million (Rs 1,680 crore) buyout clause had been received by the Catalan club.
Barcelona’s official statement read:
“On Thursday afternoon, Neymar Jr’s legal representatives visited in person the club’s offices and made the payment of €222m 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.”
Neymar’s ‘transfer of the century’ from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain had taken another twist earlier on Thursday as Spain’s football league refused to accept a cheque to pay his buyout clause.
Representatives of the 25-year-old Brazilian were turned away from the Madrid headquarters of La Liga, whose president Javier Tebas has accused the French club of breaching transfer rules.
“We can confirm that the legal representatives of the player attended La Liga to pay the clause and this has been rejected,” a La Liga spokesperson had told AFP.
However, Uefa insisted the move doesn’t automatically break FFP rules as PSG have time to balance their books.
“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,” Uefa said in a statement to AFP.
The player is now due to arrive in Paris on Friday, according to airport sources in the French capital, to complete the deal.
And Neymar could be presented at PSG’s Ligue 1 opener at home to Amiens on Saturday.
The Brazilian’s new mark is more than double the previous record set by Manchester United’s capture of Paul Pogba from Juventus last year for €105 million.
(With AFP inputs)
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