Your cheque for £198m? No thanks, say the Spanish
NEYMAR’S record breaking football deal hit a snag when Spanish officials dramatically refused to accept a £198m cheque from his Qatari buyers.
French side Paris St-Germain – owned by a Qatar investment fund linked to the state’s royal family – has agreed to pay the sum to trigger a release clause in his contract with Barcelona.
The fee is more than double the previous record transfer, set last year when Manchester United signed Paul Pogba for £89million.
Yesterday Neymar’s lawyer, Juan de Dios Crespo, wearing a bow tie and hat, visited the Spanish football league in Madrid to try to settle the transfer and pay the fee.
But the cheque was rejected amid concerns the transfer could breach complex rules on financial ‘fair play’.
The rules, introduced seven years ago, are designed to stop clubs involved in European competition from spending more than they earn.
But the lawyers then went to Barcelona’s ground to pay the fee there and the £198million deal was completed. The deal is a PR coup for Qatar, which is locked in a bitter diplomatic dispute with its neighbours, who have accused it of supporting terrorism.
Neymar has a young son with his ex girlfriend. He already owns two private jets, one bought for £6million last year, and he once spent £14,000 on trainers in one shopping trip.