Madrid: Neymar completed his record-shattering transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday, signing a five-year deal with the French club after they triggered his $263 million release clause.
The 25-year-old Brazil forward, who will be presented to fans on Saturday, is committed to PSG until June 2022, the club said in a statement. Media reports have said he could earn around 550,000 euros per week.
“Today (Thursday), with the arrival of Neymar Jr, I am convinced that we will come even closer, with the support of our faithful fans, to realizing our greatest dreams,” said PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
Both Barcelona and Spain’s La Liga questioned whether the move complied with Uefa’s financial regulations, with the club saying they would report the deal to European football’s governing body.
The transfer doubles the previous world record fee paid when Paul Pogba moved last August from Juventus to Manchester United for a 105 million euros.
Neymar said he was looking forward to delivering trophies for the French club.
“I am extremely happy to join Paris Saint-Germain,” he said in the club’s statement.
“Since I arrived in Europe, the club has always been one of the most competitive and most ambitious. And the biggest challenge, what most motivated me to join my new teammates is to help the club to conquer the titles that their fans want.”
Barcelona said on Thursday that Neymar’s release clause had been paid.
Barca said in a statement on their website that Neymar’s legal representatives “visited in person the club’s offices and made the payment of $263 million...”
(Reuters)