Share

Neymar cost Barca €57m

Barcelona - Barcelona vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu said on Monday the signing of Brazilian international Neymar has cost the club €57 million.

The 21-year-old was officially paraded as a Barca player at the Camp Nou earlier on Monday after the club reached an agreement with his old club Santos and the player himself last month.

And Bartomeu ended speculation about how much the Spanish champions had paid for Neymar, although he refused to specify how much each of the parties involved in the deal had received individually on confidentiality grounds.

As well as Santos, investment companies DIS and Teisa who owned part of the player's economic rights were bought by Barca.

"Barcelona have all the sporting and economic rights of the player," he told a press conference.

"This operation, at a cost of €57 million, has been done without intermediaries or agents just with the four companies involved."

Of the €57 million, Barca had already paid 10 last year in anticipation of sealing the deal for around €40 million in total.

However, Bartomeu admitted that the late interest shown by rivals Real Madrid and another club had made the deal more expensive.

"The operation has been made more expensive due to the interest of other clubs that interfered in the signing of Neymar.

"It was forseen that Neymar would arrive in 2014. To bring the move forward we have had to pay this €17 million more."

Bartomeu also confirmed that as part of the deal Barca will play two friendlies against Santos, with one taking place at the Camp Nou and the other in Brazil, whilst the player's buyout clause will be €190 million.

The club's sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta also hailed the signing of the Brazilian prodigy and believes there won't be any issue with Neymar fitting into Barca's current system alongside Lionel Messi.

"Neymar has a style that fits perfectly into ours," he said.

"It is never a problem to have too much talent or too many good players."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1471 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE