Neymar is ready to walk away from FC Barcelona.
The Brazilian soccer superstar told Barcelona on Wednesday he wants to leave the club. Barcelona announced Neymar’s request on its website and allowed him to miss practice Wednesday in order to resolve his future.
“The player Neymar Jr, accompanied by his father and agent, has informed FC Barcelona this morning of his decision to leave the club in a meeting held at the club’s offices,” Barcelona said in a statement.
Neymar, 25, has been heavily linked with a potential transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in recent weeks. The French club would have to pay Barcelona the entire €222 million (£197.3 million/$257 million) buyout clause Neymar’s contract contains, which would set a new record for highest fee ever paid for a soccer player.
Barcelona also declared it will withhold a reported €26 million (£23 million/$31-million) bonus Neymar was due to receive July 31 under terms of the contract extension he signed last summer.
“Furthermore, in reply to the claim for the contract-extension bonus, the club has once again made it clear that the amount remains deposited with a notary until the case is resolved,” the statement reads.
Barcelona seems angry with Neymar but ultimately will be powerless to stop the player from leaving if he or PSG pays the contract release fee at the La Liga (Spanish League) office.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
