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 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.
He has been linked with moves to Real Madrid and Chelsea FC in the last year, but it looks like Barcelona will be the starting point of his adventures in European soccer.
It’s scary to think about him lining up alongside Lionel Messi, who will be 27, and in the prime of his career, when the 2014-15 season kicks off.