Neymar the new face of megadeals

FC Barcelona player Neymar attends a news conference in Tokyo, Japan July 13, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

Record transfer to PSG places Brazil icon at forefront of soccer's latest cash splash

BARCELONA－Neymar could be presented as a Paris Saint-Germain player as early as this weekend after Barcelona admitted defeat in convincing the Brazilian to stay at Camp Nou on Wednesday.

After saying goodbye to his Barca teammates, the 25-year-old forward departed for Porto by private jet, surrounded by an entourage that included his father and agent Neymar Sr and Wagner Ribeiro, an adviser who said PSG would pay the player's $262 million buyout clause in the "coming hours".

That would more than double the current transfer record of $111 million set by Paul Pogba's move to Manchester United last year.

Media reports suggested Neymar had gone to Porto, where PSG sporting director Antero Henrique had worked until recently, to undergo a pre-transfer medical.

Sources told AFP he will arrive in Paris on Thursday afternoon.

Earlier, Barcelona ended weeks of speculation by publicly confirming for the first time the player's wish to leave after four years at Camp Nou.

"Neymar Jr, accompanied by his father and representative, communicated to FC Barcelona this morning his decision to leave the club," Barca said in a statement posted on the club's website.

"The club has informed them that the buyout clause in his contract must be paid in full."

Neymar has been tempted to Paris by an astronomical offer that would reportedly see his after-tax wages triple to $35 million annually.

However, on the field he also faces the challenge of stepping out of the shadow of five-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi in trying to prove himself the world's best.

"It was a huge pleasure having shared all those years with you, my friend @neymarjr," Messi posted on Instagram alongside a montage displaying some of the pair's finest moments together.

"I wish you lots of luck in this new stage in your life. See you soon tkm," he added. ('Tkm' stands for te quiero mucho or 'I love you loads'.)

"Thanks brother. I will miss you man," Neymar replied.

Presuming both clubs don't come to a late agreement, the buyout clause would have to be paid to Barcelona via Spain's La Liga to free the player from the contract he signed last year and runs until 2021.

However, La Liga president Javier Tebas has threatened not to accept PSG's money over what he perceives as a failure on the French side's part to comply with UEFA's financial fair play rules (FFP).

Clubs can be sanctioned by UEFA for making a loss of more than $35 million over a three-year period.

"We will not accept this money from a club like PSG," Tebas told Madrid sports daily AS on Wednesday. "Especially when this club is infringing rules and laws."

Winning the Champions League for a first time is the dream driving PSG owners Oryx Qatar Sports Investments to fund a deal that could herald the start of a new era at the elite level of European soccer.