According to Sport360, Barcelona have not only reached an agreement with Santos to sign the Brazilian phenom Neymar after the 2014 World Cup, but that Barca have already paid Santos some of the transfer fee.
“According to several reliable sources Barca have already paid a quarter [€14.5 million] of the €58 million to Santos to guarantee the transfer of the player,” Sport 360 reports Cadena SER radio claimed, “adding that the date for his transfer was after the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.”
The report added that the decision to seal the deal was taken by the player and his father against the wishes of his agent Wagner Ribeiro, who is believed to have favoured a move to Real Madrid for his client.
The 20-year-old is widely recognized as the best player to be playing outside of Europe. In 2011, he lead Santos to the Copa Libertadores crown, and won the FIFA Goal of the Year award and has been a regular for Brazil’s national team since he made his debut in 2010. He has played 16 times for his country, scoring eight goals.
Setting up the deal this way makes perfect financial sense for Barcelona as they don’t have the cash, especially under the UEFA FPP rules, to spend €58 in one lump sum during a single transfer window. This way the payments are manageable.
Barcelona are the best side in Europe at the moment. It is scary to think about how good they will be in 2014-15 season when you have Neymar playing alongside Lionel Messi, who will be 27, and in the prime of his career.
This post originally appeared on our FC Barcelona blog.
