Barcelona Transfer Rumors: Neymar Not Signing Contract Extension Until Tax Issues are Settled
Brazilian superstar forward Neymar has a contract with FC Barcelona until 2018, and club officials want to extend it as they consider him as the heir to Lionel Messi. However, his father said that the 23-year-old halted extension negotiations until the tax issues they are facing in Brazil and Spain are settled, per ESPN FC.
Neymar Sr. told Radio Barcelona show "Què T'hi Jugues" that his son will not sign any contracts until they are both cleared from their tax evasion cases. "We are talking about renewing, but there are things outstanding still to resolve, which have us a bit worried. There cannot be these tax concerns from not knowing if we are doing things correctly," Neymar Sr. said.
"We must know if Spain accepts our situation. It is hard for us because we are receiving many attacks, from Brazil and from Spain, in tax matters," he added.
According to CNN, a Brazilian court froze Neymar's assets, which are valued at 188.8 million Brazilian reals or around $48 million, along with his father's assets and companies. The assets were frozen of allegedly evading 63 million reals in taxes or about $16 million between 2011 and 2013 when Neymar was still playing for Santos FC.
Judge Carlos Muta said in the statement that Brazil's captain declared assets that are only worth 19.6 million reals, which are a little less than $5 million. The money involved in Neymar's transfer to Barcelona in 2013 is the main point of the investigation.
The player's agent Wagner Ribeiro has advised his client to put all of his money in tax havens and move to Real Madrid before the end of his career via Instagram. Back in the summer, Neymar was linked to a move to Manchester United that has plans to make him the best player on the planet.
In a report by Sky Sports, Neymar himself confirmed that there have been talks between him and United representatives this past summer. "We had conversations, but there was nothing concrete. I heard that there were offers, but none were made to me," Neymar said.
Besides United, PSG is also interested in signing Neymar to replace the departing Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The French club is willing to pay €190 million release clause, as reported by Barca Blaugranes.
According to a report by The Sun via EuroSport, Barcelona is offering the Brazil international a contract extension that will make him the third highest-paid footballer in the world with a £500,000-per-week salary. It is only behind Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who are paid £565,000 and £550,000 per week, respectively.
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