Neymar to leave Barcelona for Paris in massive deal
Neymar is ready to leave Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain is ready to put up a record $262 million to make it happen.
The 25-year-old Brazil striker, widely considered to be among the best soccer players in the world alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, broke weeks of silence Wednesday when he told his Barcelona teammates he wants to move on after four trophy-laden seasons with the Spanish team.
The cost of the player’s buyout clause is 222 million euros ($262 million). BBC Sports reported that Neymar will earn about 45 million euros ($53 million) a year.
“After Neymar gave me the green light on Aug. 1, I went to Paris and today I brought back PSG’s offer to pay the [buyout] clause, which will be done in the next hours,” Neymar’s agent, Wagner Ribeiro, said Wednesday at the airport in Barcelona. He said Neymar would be with the French team by this weekend.
Messi, who has led a dynamic striking trio at Barcelona with Neymar and Luis Suarez, wished the Brazilian well, writing in an Instagram post, “I wish you the best of luck in the next stage of your life.”
In Chicago, Real Madrid beat the MLS All-Star team in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 tie to end regulation. The visitors shook free from a determined MLS team, 4-2, in the shootout when Marcelo’s kick skidded low right and past goalkeeper Stefan Frei. Real made all four of its tries in the round. Dom Dwyer and the Galaxy’s Giovani dos Santos, the first two shooters sent out by MLS, were stopped by Real goalkeeper Luca Zidane and the crossbar, respectively.
Madrid took a 1-0 lead just inside the hour mark on a goal by Borja Mayoral. Dwyer headed in the the tying score in the 89th minute.
Gators QB great Reaves dead at 67
Former Florida and NFL quarterback John Reaves, who finished his college career as the NCAA’s all-time leading passer and later struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, died at 67. Reaves was found dead at his home in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, according to the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Reaves dealt with dependency for most of his 11-year career as an NFL journeyman, a run that began as a first-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1972. The Minnesota Vikings put him in the Hazelden Clinic in 1980, and for the next two decades Reaves lived a life of sobriety while becoming the No. 2 all-time passing leader in the USFL and then coaching eight years in the Southeastern Conference at Florida (1990-94) and South Carolina (1995-97).
His college career was much more acclaimed. Reaves threw for a school-record 342 yards and five touchdowns in his first game with the Gators, breaking the mark of 1966 Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier. He left school as the NCAA’s all-time leading passer, throwing for 7,581 yards and an SEC-record 54 touchdowns.
Legendary Notre Dame football coach Ara Parseghian died Wednesday at 94. Obituary, B5.
Houston Texans wide receiver Will Fuller broke his collarbone during practice Wednesday. He will have surgery and is expected to sit out two to three months . ... Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi has been diagnosed with a concussion and will miss several practices.
Maria Sharapova withdrew from the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford because of soreness in her left arm. Her scheduled opponent, Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine, advanced. In other matches Madison Keys defeated Caroline Dolehide 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in an all-U.S. match, and top-seeded Garbine Muguruza of Spain beat Kayla Day of the U.S. 6-2, 6-0.