Neymar could be jailed for 5 years as PSG superstar prepares to undergo trial over Barcelona transfer in 2013: Reports

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Neymar could be jailed over his Barcelona transfer, which took place in 2013 when the forward left Santos for Camp Nou. He will stand trial in Spain on Monday, following calls from a Brazilian investment firm to jail the 30-year-old for corruption and fraud, according to The Sun.

The investment firm, DIS, owned 40% of the forward while he was still at Santos, but they claimed to have received much less after Barcelona had paid €57.1 million for the transfer. Notably, a large chunk of the money from Barca, €40 million, went to Neymar’s family, while the investment firm only got a 40% share of the €17.1 million remaining.

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Barça Universal

@BarcaUniversal

Florentino Pérez has been called to testify in court for the lawsuit against Neymar, Rosell and Bartomeu. Florentino has to confirm that, if he wanted to sign Neymar, he should have paid €50m to Neymar's father and a €40m bonus, as well as paying the release clause.

— @sport

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Florentino Pérez has been called to testify in court for the lawsuit against Neymar, Rosell and Bartomeu. Florentino has to confirm that, if he wanted to sign Neymar, he should have paid €50m to Neymar's father and a €40m bonus, as well as paying the release clause.

— @sport https://t.co/6MWc5dMPnN

The firm has argued that they should have been paid more, with a DIS lawyer stating:

"Neymar's rights have not been sold to the highest bidder. There were clubs that offered up to 60m euros."

However, the PSG forward's lawyers have argued that choosing Barca was Neymar's legal right:

"The rules of free competition do not operate since the transfer from one club to another depends on the free will of the player. The player is not a service or a commodity. He is a person of his own free will."

While Neymar denied the allegations from the investment firm, he notably lost an appeal at the Spanish High Court in 2017. Another trial, which is set to begin on Monday, will see the forward in court once more.

GOAL

@goal

Barcelona and Neymar have ended their long-running legal dispute in "amicable fashion", after four years of battling in court

Neymar argued that he was owed an unpaid signing bonus despite leaving Camp Nou.

Neymar lost the case in 2020 and was ordered to pay £6m.

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Barcelona and Neymar have ended their long-running legal dispute in "amicable fashion", after four years of battling in court 👀

Neymar argued that he was owed an unpaid signing bonus despite leaving Camp Nou.

Neymar lost the case in 2020 and was ordered to pay £6m. https://t.co/qZjEaO9PCl

While Spanish prosecutors are seeking a €10 million fine for the PSG forward, along with a two-year prison sentence, DIS are pushing for a five-year prison sentence.

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The Barcelona hierarchy will also stand on trial alongside PSG superstar and his parents

The report from The Sun also claims that Neymar's parents will stand trial on Monday, alongside former members of the Camp Nou hierarchy. This includes former Blaugrana presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell. Former Santos president Odilio Rodrigues will also stand trial alongside Brazilian club Santos.

DIS are asking for the former Barca president and Neymar to be jailed and handed a massive €149 million fine. The Spanish prosecutors are looking at jailing Rosell for five years, while a much smaller €8.4 fine is handed to Barcelona.

The PSG forward's representatives have stated that the Spanish courts do not have the "jurisdiction to prosecute the Neymar family". According to them, the transfer took place with Brazilian citizens in Brazil, which has not recognized the 30-year-old's move to Spain as a crime.

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