It has been rumored for months that Neymar will be joining Barcelona from Santos. His arrival was scheduled for after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. It has also been reported Barcelona already made an initial payment to Santos for €10 million to secure the transfer, as stated in a document provided to club members during their annual assembly.
It now appears Neymar's transfer will be happening this Summer, with an announcement expected very soon. Barcelona and Santos have been in negotiations for a transfer, with Neymar joining Barcelona after the Confederations Cup. The Brazilian stage in no longer big enough for Neymar, and many around him believe a move to Europe needs to happen as soon as possible.
Neymar's contract with Santos expires in June of 2014, allow him to start negotiations with other clubs 6 months prior to the end of his contract. As much as Santos would like to keep the player as long as possible, they run the risk he would leave the club for free when his contract is up. Barcelona wants Neymar, and Neymar wants Barcelona, so because of this, Barcelona is attempting to force Santos to accept a lower transfer fee than the €65 million buyout, or even the €40 million fee already negotiated per the document mentioned previously. Barcelona's initial offers of €18 million, €20 million plus 2 friendly games in Brazil, and the latest €22 million have all been rejected by Santos. A last offer of €25 million has been reported, but denied by Barcelona. Negotiations are currently at a standstill. All 3 sides have been extremely secretive in these negotiations, for however long they have been going on, so I am positive there is a lot more happening behind the scenes that no one is aware of.
At the end of it all, I believe this move will happen this Summer, and relatively soon for that matter. My guess is the deal will be close to the €40 million that has always been assumed any transfer for Neymar would cost. Neymar will give Messi much needed help when teams decide to pile up defenders on him. The 2 best individual players in the world playing side by side will definitely be fun to watch.
