BARÇA JUSTIFIES PAYMENT AS COMPENSATION

The truth behind the 40 million

Barcelona forked out a total of €57.1 million euros for Neymar. Of this amount, €17.1 million went to Santos, who in turn shared it out between the companies Sonda and Teisa, as both were the owners of the Brazilian superstar's image rights, whose contract was due to finish in 2014.

Barcelona paid another €40 million to the Neymar & Neymar company. Barça member Jordi Casas has accused the club of the embezzlement of this money. Moreover, other sources insist that this amount is part of the player's salary, as the company is owned by the player and his father, and is subject to the corresponding IRPF (income tax).

Barcelona doesn't see things in the same light, however. According to the club, everything went as follows: Real Madrid was about to sign Neymar back in 2011. This was the moment that Sandro Rosell personally intervened to put a stop to the operation and ensure the starlet's signing with the Catalan club.

The Barça president promised to pay €40 million for the player's image rights once he was freed of any obligations to Santos. In the deal, Barcelona forwarded €10 million that went directly to Neymar & Neymar to stop any further negotiations with Real.

In the contract that was then signed, compensation clauses were included in the event that the agreement was broken by either party before 2014, which is when it became valid, as until then the registration rights were not totally of said company, but shared. The club and player promised to pay €40 million if the contract was not respected.