Neymar's transfer from Santos to Barcelona cost the Catalan club more than €100 million, Barca club president Josep Maria Bartomeu confirmed on Thursday.
The 24-year-old Brazil star made a much-scrutinised move from the Brazilian club to the Blaugrana in the summer of 2013 for a then-reported fee of €57 million. However closer looks into the transaction have shown the price tag far exceeded that amount.
Neymar and his father, Neymar Sr., have been the subject of lawsuits due to the opaque nature of the deal between the two parties, with Santos, third-party investors, Brazil tax authorities and Barcelona club members alleging the actual amount was withheld.
But Bartomeu, who announced the club and player are within days of signing a lucrative new five-year contract extension, has revealed the full price of the operation for the first time.
When asked about the overall cost, Bartomeu said: "I think we're mixing up concepts. I'll explain.
"The cost of signing the player was €57 million, which is what was paid: €17.1 million to Santos and €40 million to the player's father. Moreover, he reached the final of the Ballon d'Or: an extra two million. Those €59.1 million and the €5.5 million from the agreement with the public prosecutor's office and the State Attorney's Office, that's the cost of the deal.
"Another thing is the overall cost of the operation. And this is an amount which is over €100 million."
Neymar's current deal with Barca ends in June 2018, and talks over an extension have been ongoing for some time amid regular rumours that potential suitors such as Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain or Manchester United could pay his €200 million release clause this summer.
