The reports continue Mundo Deportivo’s long-standing claims that Neymar has already signed for Barcelona – a claim hotly disputed by the player’s Brazilian owners Santos.
The supposed agreement will see Neymar join Barcelona in the summer of 2013, or possibly after the 2014 World Cup, allowing him to stay in Brazil as desired.
Major Doubts
The Catalan newspaper has popped up every few months this year with a new report on the matter, normally when Neymar has been linked elsewhere – as he was this week with both PSG and Chelsea.
The problem for Mundo Deportivo is that the story being carried by them and Catalan magazine Sport is inconsistent and they have been wrong before. In December last year they reported that the penalty clause stood at €10 million, whilst Sport reported the clause at €20 million. Then, in September of this year, Sport reported a clause of €40 million.
Both media outlets, which have a heavy Barcelona bias, do though agree that a fee has been paid to Santos already for the player’s future services – an agreement denied by both Santos and Neymar himself.
