Media playback is not supported on this device What else could you buy for Neymar's £200m?

Paris St-Germain have signed Brazil forward Neymar for a world record fee of 222m euros (£200m) from Barcelona.

The deal for the 25-year-old smashes the previous record set when Paul Pogba returned to Manchester United from Juventus for £89m in August 2016.

He will earn 45m euros (£40.7m) a year - 865,000 euros (£782,000) a week - before tax from the initial five-year deal, a total outlay of £400m.

Neymar said he has joined "one of the most ambitious clubs in Europe".

"Paris St-Germain's ambition attracted me to the club, along with the passion and the energy this brings," he added.

"I feel ready to take the challenge. From today, I will do everything I can to help my new team-mates."

The French side have arranged a news conference for 12:30 BST on Friday. Neymar will then be introduced to fans on Saturday at PSG's first game of the season against Amiens at Parc des Princes.

PSG reached the last eight of the Champions League last season - knocked out by a Neymar-inspired Barcelona - and were beaten to the French title by Monaco.

A late snag?

After weeks of speculation, Neymar arrived for training with Barcelona on Wednesday with his father and representative, and told the Spanish club he wanted to leave.

He was then given permission by Barca manager Ernesto Valverde to leave to "sort out his future".

In Spain, a release clause can only be activated by a player buying himself out of his contract.

But when Neymar's lawyers attempted to make the deposit on Thursday, La Liga officials rejected the payment. Further statements followed from all sides as the negotiations continued.

La Liga believes French club PSG are violating Uefa's Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules and Barcelona previously said they would report PSG to European football's governing body Uefa for a FFP breach.

PSG believes La Liga was acting unlawfully, while the French league (LFP) said it was "surprised" and urged its Spanish counterpart to "abide by the Fifa rules".

Unable to get La Liga to take the payment, Neymar's representatives paid the 222m euros (£200m) fee at Barca's offices instead.

Media playback is not supported on this device Brazil star Neymar lights up 2014 World Cup

So FFP... who is right?

FFP rules, first implemented during the 2011-12 season, stipulate that European clubs cannot outspend what they earn by more than 30m euros.

PSG is backed by money from Gulf state Qatar and La Liga president Javier Tebas has accused the French club of "financial doping".

It is the first time PSG - ranked the 11th most valuable club in the world by Forbes - have broken the global transfer record, with Real Madrid paying five of the past six highest fees. The deal dwarfs the £89m Manchester United paid Juventus for Paul Pogba last summer - the previous world record.

Stepping out of Messi's shadow?

Neymar's departure from Barcelona breaks up the feted attacking trident he formed with Argentina captain Lionel Messi and Uruguay forward Luis Suarez.

On Wednesday, Messi posted on Instagram: "It was a great pleasure to have shared all these years with you my friend Neymar. I wish you good luck in this new stage of your life." Neymar replied: "Thank you brother. I will miss you."

Then, after completing the move, the Brazilian posted his own message, calling the Argentine "the best athlete I've ever seen in my life".

"Lionel Messi became my team-mate, and my friend on and off the pitch," he wrote. "I am proud to have played with you. We formed an attack with Luis Suarez that will endure forever.

"I achieved everything a sportsperson can achieve. I played with these guys in video games. I lived unforgettable moments in a city that is more than a city - it's a homeland.

"Barcelona and Catalonia will always be in my heart but I need a new challenge. PSG offered a bold new way forward and I'm ready. Right now I feel in my heart that it's time to go."

Since joining Barca in 2013, Neymar scored 68 goals in four full seasons - behind Cristiano Ronaldo (139), Messi (134), Luis Suarez (85), Antoine Griezmann (76) and Athletic Bilbao's Aritz Aduriz (70)

In that same period, he had the fifth most direct assists with 38 - again behind Messi (54), Atletico Madrid's Koke (45), Suarez (43) and Ronaldo (42)

In chances created in that time (287), he was second only to team-mate Messi (326)

He had the highest number of chances created last season (91) - more than any other PSG player (Angel di Maria had 78)

Edinson Cavani scored almost three times as many league goals (35) than Neymar (13) last season

Neymar in profile

Born in Mogi das Cruzes, a suburb of Sao Paulo, on 5 February 1992

Started his career at Santos after signing a professional contract in January 2009

Remains Santos' leading goalscorer in the post-Pele era with 138 goals in 229 matches

Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United were all linked before he eventually signed for Barcelona in June 2013 at the age of 21

He made his Barca debut against Levante in August 2013 and went on to score 105 goals and provide 80 assists in 186 games for the Catalan club

He won two La Liga titles and one Champions League

Made his international debut aged 18 and he has scored 52 goals in 77 games for Brazil

Neymar at Barcelona last season Games Minutes played Goals Minutes per goal Assists 45 3,972 20 199 27

Neymar scored the fastest goal in Olympic history after just 14 seconds against Honduras in the Rio 2016 men's semi-final

What happened the last time Neymar was signed

When Neymar joined Barcelona in June 2013, the club said they paid a total of £48.6m.

But after Barca refused to offer more details, an investigation was started by the Spanish prosecutor into whether the club had defrauded the treasury of unpaid tax.

The president Sandro Rosell, who personally oversaw the pursuit of Neymar, eventually resigned - though he said it was for personal reasons - and his successor, Josep Maria Bartomeu, revealed the true cost of the deal was actually £71.5m.

Neymar's father got £33m fee, plus £2m in "agent fees"

Santos got £14m, plus £6m by giving Barca an option on future Santos players

The player got an £8m signing-on fee, plus £9m a year in wages over five years

Neymar's charitable foundation in Brazil also received £2m

History of the world transfer record

In 1975, Italian Giuseppe Savoldi became football's first £1m player with his move from Bologna to Napoli. And Britain followed suit four years later, when Nottingham Forest paid Birmingham City £1.2m for England forward Trevor Francis.

Only two players have broken the transfer record twice: Argentina legend Diego Maradona and Brazil great Ronaldo.

Maradona moved from Boca Juniors to Barcelona for £3m in 1982, before joining Napoli two years later for £5m. Ronaldo joined Barcelona for £13.2m in 1996, but left after just one season to join Inter for £19.5m.

Brazil winger Denilson (£21.5m), Italy striker Christian Vieri (£32m), Argentina forward Hernan Crespo (£35.5m), Portugal winger Luis Figo (£37m) and France playmaker Zinedine Zidane (£46m) all raised the bar over the next three years.

Brazil midfielder Kaka (£56m) breached the £50m barrier in 2009 before his new club Real Madrid broke the record again by signing Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for £80m three weeks later.

The Bernabeu club beat their own record again with their £85m deal with Tottenham for Wales forward Gareth Bale in 2013 - before Manchester United paid £89m for France midfielder Pogba last summer.

The top 10 most expensive deals (fees as reported in sterling at the time) before Neymar

Reaction & #NeymarMaths

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho: "Expensive are the ones who get into a certain level without a certain quality. For £200m, I don't think [Neymar] is expensive.

"I think he's expensive in the fact that now you are going to have more players at £100m, you are going have more players at £80m and more players at £60m. And I think that's the problem.

"So I think the problem is not Neymar, I think the problem is the consequences of Neymar."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp: "I thought Fair Play was made so that situations like that can't happen. That's more of a suggestion than a real rule."

Lille director general Marc Ingla, a former Barcelona vice president: "It's a blow for Barcelona. Neymar is an accelerator to this bright future of Ligue 1. The young talent pool we have here is the best in Europe. For sure we can still compete with PSG. Once you get on the pitch it's 11 v 11 and all the transfer fees and salaries narrow a bit."

Barcelona's Arda Turan: "It was a great pleasure to have lived all those unforgettable moments with you my brother. Wish you the best. Always..."

What would 222m euros buy you?

Five Huddersfield Towns - the Premier League new boys are valued at £44m

- the Premier League new boys are valued at £44m Effectively, it would buy you Monaco, the 19th most valuable club in the world based on figures from Transfermarkt

the 19th most valuable club in the world based on figures from Transfermarkt You could pay Premier League champions Chelsea's prize money and broadcast fees for last season and still have change

for last season and still have change Or how about buying 1.5 million men's PSG shirts - the club's official store are selling the 2017-18 home jersey for 140 euros

- the club's official store are selling the 2017-18 home jersey for 140 euros In fact, why not splash out on 2 Kensington Palace Gardens. Steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal bought the London property in 2004 for £57m (76m euros in today's market)

Steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal bought the London property in 2004 for £57m (76m euros in today's market) Or invest in 1,032 trips to space with Virgin Galactic. A ticket for Sir Richard Branson's commercial space-line currently costs $250,000

Analysis

BBC Radio 5 live sports news correspondent Richard Conway

Rêvons Plus Grand!", PSG's motto, is hard to avoid at their stadium, Parc de Princes.

Translated? "Dream Bigger!".

Signing Neymar, and obliterating the transfer world record, is certainly living up to that self-imposed ideal.

The club's owners, Qatari Sports Investment (QSI), are the upstarts within the European game and are determined to disrupt the old order.

QSI is an arm of Qatar's sovereign wealth fund - so PSG's ambitions are backed by the enormous natural gas wealth of the Gulf state.

Qatar is locked in a bitter dispute with its Arab neighbours right now - so this transfer has a distinct political overtone as it seeks to show it will not be diminished or cowed by an on-going trade blockade and a diplomatic war of words.

Having secured the World Cup in 2022, PSG is seen in Doha as one of the ways through which the state can achieve its ambitions.

And in Neymar they now have a player it hopes can bridge the gap between Champions League wannabes and serial winners.

Progress towards that target has not been easy so far. Millions spent in transfer fees has delivered plenty of domestic silverware. It is not the success the club truly craves.

A spate of recent quarter-final defeats and last season's second-leg capitulation to Barcelona in the round of 16 does not reflect the high ambitions of those in charge.

The talk in Paris is of building a dynasty, not merely creating fleeting moments of hope and glory.

As for Uefa's financial fair play? The regulations have certainly tempered PSG's elaborate spending in recent seasons but Neymar's arrival represents a serious challenge to the club in this respect alongside Uefa's credibility.

The value of this deal - fee and wages - must pass the necessary tests. There's confidence within PSG's boardroom that it will not be a significant issue but their accountants will perhaps be as busy as the first team squad in coming months.

In the end, this is an era-defining transfer on a par - in terms of its significance - with Maradona to Napoli, Shearer to Newcastle, Zidane, Ronaldo and Bale to Real Madrid or Pogba to Manchester United.

Those moves all had sporting ambition at their heart. This transfer, for now, is perceived more as a triumph of political and financial considerations.

But this is football. And ultimately this deal will not be judged in the governmental salons of Doha nor on a spreadsheet. Instead, success must be delivered through PSG capturing the club game's greatest trophy.

Brazilian journalist Fernando Duarte: "This is simply the biggest ever deal in football history.

"We're talking about a player who has the potential to be one of the best in the world. He has the marketing potential, he's a natural, unlike Lionel Messi for example who always looks awkward on camera.

"Why should Brad Pitt get $20m for a movie and a football player, who is not going to be playing in his 40s like many sporting stars, shouldn't?

"One year before the World Cup, he's going to a club where everything will be resting on his shoulders. If PSG win the Champions League, it will be Neymar's plaudits. If PSG fail, it will be Neymar's fault."

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Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.</s>Neymar could be presented as a Paris Saint-Germain player as early as this weekend for a world record fee as Barcelona admitted defeat in convincing the Brazilian to stay at the Camp Nou today. Wagner Ribeiro, an advisor to the player, claimed PSG would pay his 222 million euro ($260 million) buyout clause in the “coming hours” to more than double the current transfer record set by Paul Pogba’s £89.3 million ($111 million, 105.2 million euros) move to Manchester United last year. Earlier, Barcelona ended weeks of speculation by publicly confirming for the first time the 25-year-old’s wish to leave after four years at the Camp Nou. “Neymar Jr, accompanied by his father and representative, communicated to FC Barcelona this morning his decision to leave the club,” Barca said in a statement. “The club have informed them that the buyout clause in his contract, that from July 1 is 222 million euros, must be paid in full.”

Neymar has been tempted to Paris by an astronomical offer that would reportedly see his wages tripled to 30 million euros a year after tax. However, on the field he also faces the challenge of stepping out of the shadow of five-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi to try and prove himself as the world’s best. “It was a huge pleasure having shared all those years with you, my friend @neymarjr,” Messi posted on Instagram alongside a montage displaying some of the pair’s finest moments together. “I wish you lots of luck in this new stage in your life. See you soon tkm,” he added. “Tkm” stands for “te quiero mucho” (I love you loads).

Neymar has also been given permission to stay away from training until the deal is complete after making a brief appearance at Barca’s training ground on Wednesday morning to say goodbye to his teammates. Presuming both clubs don’t come to a late agreement, the buyout clause would have to be paid to Barcelona via Spain’s La Liga to free the player from the contract he signed last year and runs until 2021.

However, La Liga president Javier Tebas has threatened not to accept PSG’s money over what he perceives as a failure on the French side’s part to comply with UEFA’s financial fair play rules (FFP).

Clubs can be sanctioned by UEFA for making a loss of more than 30 million euros over a three-year period. “We will not accept this money from a club like PSG,” Tebas told Madrid sports daily AS on Wednesday. “Especially when this club is infringing rules and laws.”

Winning the Champions League for a first time is the dream driving PSG’s owners Oryx Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) to fund a deal that could herald the start of a new era at the elite level of European football.

Since QSI’s takeover in 2011, PSG have failed to make it beyond the quarter-final stage in recent seasons – most notably blowing a 4-0 first leg lead to lose 6-1 to a Neymar- inspired Barcelona in the last 16 of last season’s competition in March.

Prising Neymar from the grip of Barca would truly announce PSG’s presence as a contender for the likes of Barca, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich to fear.

Neymar has formed one of the deadliest strike partnerships in football history with Messi and Luis Suarez over the past three seasons.

Together they have won two La Liga titles, a Champions League and three Spanish Cups, whilst Neymar has scored 105 goals and provided 80 assists in just 186 games.

However, Neymar’s four-year spell in Spain has also been overshadowed by the murky transfer deal which brought him to Barcelona from Santos in 2013.

He and his parents as well as Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu face charges of fraud and corruption in an ongoing case brought by DIS, a Brazilian investment company.

DIS owned 40 percent of the players’ rights at the time of the deal and believe they were deliberately cheated out of their real share due to the complex structure of the transfer.</s>Paris Saint-Germain announced Thursday on Twitter and on its website that it has acquired the soccer superstar from FC Barcelona and signed him to a five-year contract, which will reportedly pay him €29.8 million (£26.7 million/$35 million) per season and make him the highest-earning player in the world.

“Paris Saint-Germain is very happy to announce the arrival of Neymar Jr. to the team,” PSG said in a statement. “… Neymar Jr. is now committed to the French capital’s club until June 30 2022.”

PSG paid Barcelona €222 million (£197.3 million/$257 million) to buy out Neymar’s contract, shattering the previous record for most expensive soccer transfer. Paul Pogba’s held the previous record with his 2016 witch to Manchester United from Juventus costing €120 million (£105 million/$140 million).

Having remained silent throughout his weeks’-long transfer saga, Neymar finally spoke of his delight at joining PSG.

“I am extremely happy to join Paris Saint-Germain,” he told PSG’s website. “Since I arrived in Europe (in 2013), the club has always been one of the most competitive and most ambitious. And the biggest challenge, what most motivated me to join my new teammates is to help the club to conquer the titles that their fans want. Paris Saint-Germain’s ambition attracted me to the club, along with the passion and the energy this brings. I played 4 seasons in Europe and I feel ready to take the challenge. From today, I will do everything I can to help my new teamates, to open up new horizons for my club and to bring happiness to its millions of supporters around the world.”

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi hailed Neymar’s arrival as an important step toward turning PSG into a European soccer powerhouse.

“It is with immense joy and pride that we welcome Neymar Jr to Paris Saint-Germain,” Al-Khelaifi said. “Neymar Jr is today one of the very best players in world football. His winning mentality, strength of character and sense of leadership have made him into a great player. He will bring a very positive energy to this club. In six years, we have built a very ambitious project that has already taken us to the highest level of national and European football. Today, with the arrival of Neymar Jr, I am convinced that we will come even closer, with the support of our faithful fans, to realizing our greatest dreams.”</s>Paris Saint-Germain have created football history, breaking the world record transfer fee. The Parisian club have completed the signing of Barcelona's Neymar in a €222million deal to make him the world's first £100m-plus footballer.

The world-record fee for a player was only broken last summer when Manchester United broke the bank for former academy midfielder Paul Pogba, but PSG have smashed that by meeting Neymar's €222m release clause.

Neymar's move has been one of the most talked about transfer sagas in recent memory, but in theory, it looked out of reach due to the substantial release clause and the Brazilian forming one of the deadliest attacking trios in history along with Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi.

The 25-year-old moved to Catalonia back in 2013 from Santos and has emerged as one of the brightest young talents in the world game. The winger signed a new five-year contract with Barca in only 2016

The now-completed deal took a massive turn on Wednesday with Neymar turning up to Barca's training ground and telling his team-mates his plans to leave. The club and manager Ernesto Valverde excused him from training and he was gone within half an hour of arriving

Neymar has signed a bumper five-year deal at the Parc des Princes, and it is reported that the 25-year-old will be earning an eye-watering £850,000-a-week.

Such a massive move has shaken the foundations of the football world which has already been consumed by money, but the deal of the century almost never materialised as La Liga looked to block the move.

It was indicated last weekend that the Spanish league officials would be reluctant to sign off on such a transfer, with league president Javier Tebas stating that such a move would "infringe" financial fair play rules.

"We will [make a complaint about PSG]," Tebas told Mundo Deportivo. "Because they infringe Uefa’s financial fair play rules and also the European Union’s competition rules."

“We will make a complaint to Uefa," the president stated. "And if they don’t do anything we will take it to the competition tribunals in Switzerland and Brussels."

"We have a relationship [through the Qatari sports channel BeIn]," he concluded in reference to Spain's relationship with Qatar. "For Spanish football but La Liga must defend our clubs in these situations.”</s>Neymar has become the most expensive player in football history after completing his blockbuster transfer to Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona on Thursday for 222 million euros ($262 million).

PSG triggered the release clause in the forward’s Barcelona contract, which was more than double the previous transfer record set a year ago when Manchester United paid 105 million euros (then $116 million) for Paul Pogba.

PSG said in a statement that the 25-year-old Neymar had signed a five-year contract, until June 2022.

PSG said “his arrival into the Paris Saint-Germain family emphasizes more than ever the club’s aims to rise to the top of world football.”

For all the latest Sports News, download Indian Express App</s>SANT JOAN DESPI, Spain (AP) — Barcelona says Neymar’s 222 million euro ($262 million) release clause must be paid in full if the Brazil striker wants to leave.

Barcelona says Neymar and his father met with club officials Wednesday to say he wanted to leave, with a move to Paris Saint-Germain seemingly imminent.

The club says that it “referred them to the release clause in his current contract, which as of July 1 is 222 million euros, which must be paid in full.”

If PSG pays the clause, it would shatter the previous world record transfer of 105 million euros (then $116 million) that Manchester United paid for France midfielder Paul Pogba last year.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>DETROIT, MI (May 3, 2017) – Relevent Sports, a division of RSE Ventures, today announced that Italian powerhouse AS Roma and current French Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain F.C. will face off in the first ever professional soccer match at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan on Wednesday, July 19 as part of the 2017 International Champions Cup presented by Heineken. The match is set to kick off at 8:00PM ET on ESPN2. Comerica Park is home to the Detroit Tigers and located in The District Detroit, one of the largest sports and entertainment developments underway in the United States.

The match will mark the start of the International Champions Cup’s fifth season. Both AS Roma and Paris Saint-Germain F.C. currently rank among the leaders in their respective domestic leagues. Paris Saint-Germain F.C. returns as two-time reigning champion of the International Champions Cup, featuring a dynamic mix of young talent and veteran leadership lead by Ligue 1’s current leading goal scorer and Uruguayan national Edinson Cavani. AS Roma returns to the United States as part of the International Champions Cup for the third time, having previously competed in 2014 and 2015 editions of the tournament. ‘I Giallorossi’ boasts a roster overflowing with talent including Italian legend Daniele De Rossi and Bosnian scorer Edin Dzeko.

Comerica Park, which has served as the home to the Detroit Tigers since 2000, will host its first ever soccer match when AS Roma and Paris Saint-Germain F.C. meet as part of the 2017 International Champions Cup presented by Heineken. Comerica Park previously hosted the World Series in 2006 and 2012, the 76th MLB All-Star Game in 2005 as well as a number of recording acts in concert such as Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Dave Matthews Band, Eminem, Kid Rock, and Jay Z. Comerica Park is in the center of The District Detroit – a 50-block, mixed-use development led by the Ilitch organization and built around six world-class theaters, five neighborhoods and three professional sports venues. Home to the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Pistons and Detroit Lions - The District Detroit represents the greatest density of professional sports teams in one downtown core in the United States.

Tickets for the AS Roma v. Paris Saint-Germain F.C. matchup at Comerica Park will start as low as $25 and go on sale to the general public beginning May 16. Fans can find all venue-specific and other ticket information at www.internationalchampionscup.com and tigers.com/soccer. For suite information, call .

“We are thrilled to bring the first ever global soccer match to The District Detroit and Comerica Park by hosting the kickoff match of the highly competitive International Champions Cup,” said Christopher Ilitch, President & CEO of Ilitch Holdings, Inc. “We are equally excited to showcase AS Roma and Paris Saint-Germain, two premier football clubs before a worldwide television audience. Having Paris and Roma in Detroit puts our community on a worldwide stage and provides just a taste of the incredible variety of world-class sports and entertainment in The District Detroit."

“We are excited to bring two of the best in international soccer to Comerica Park and The District Detroit as part of the ICC,” said Charlie Stillitano, Chairman of Relevent Sports. “Both Roma and PSG have achieved continued success in Italian and French football respectively and will be looking to add to their trophy case this summer. Showcasing the best that international soccer has to offer in a city so rich in sports history is a dream come true for our organization. We look forward to hosting these clubs at Comerica Park to kick off the 2017 tournament and providing an atmosphere that the people of Detroit will absolutely want to be a part of.”

The 2017 International Champions Cup presented by Heineken will run from July 19 – 30 and feature 12 matches played across 11 cities throughout the United States. In total, eight teams from around the globe, including England (Manchester United F.C., Manchester City F.C., Tottenham Hotspur F.C.), Italy (Juventus F.C., AS Roma), France (Paris Saint-Germain F.C.) and Spain (FC Barcelona, Real Madrid C.F.) will compete in this year’s tournament. Each team will play three contests and the club with the most points at the end of the tournament will be crowned champion. Each win in regulation will result in three points and a tie will go straight to a shootout; the winning team in a shootout will receive two points and the losing team will receive one.

AS Roma, founded in 1927, has won the Serie A three times, with the last coming in the 2000-01 season. The Rome-based club also lays claim to nine Coppa Italia titles and two Supercoppa Italiana titles. Also known as “I Giallorossi,” the club features captain, all-time leading goal scorer and the most capped player in the club’s long history, Francesco Totti. This year’s roster also features vice-captain and Italian national Daniele De Rossi as well as the clubs current leading goal-scorer, Bosnian striker Edin Džeko. The club recently reached the Round of 16 in the 2016 Europa League while chasing fellow International Champions Cup participant and domestic rival Juventus F.C. in Serie A. The club plays its home matches in Stadio Olimpico, which also acts as the host stadium for fellow Serie A club Lazio and the Coppa Italia final. For more information on AS Roma, please visit www.asroma.com.

Since being purchased by Qatar Sports Investment in 2011, Paris Saint-Germain F.C. has established its position as one of the top teams in the world. Founded in 1970, the club is one of the most successful in French history, having won ten French Cups and Ligue 1 six times, including each of the previous four seasons. The club claimed three more soccer cups in the 2015-16 campaign: Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue & Trophée des Champions. With key addition such as Julian Draxler joining veterans Angel di Maria and Edinson Cavani, Paris Saint-Germain F.C. continues to put its stamp on the global soccer landscape. For more information on Paris Saint-Germain F.C., please visit www.psg.fr.

For the second consecutive year, Heineken is the presenting sponsor of the 2017 International Champions Cup. In addition to Heineken, the 2017 tournament features a leading line-up of sponsors, including Ally, Nike, Orlando, Chevrolet, AON, Groupon, VividSeats, Gatorade and Xyience. Additional partners will be announced in the coming months. All matches for the International Champions Cup will be carried on ESPN networks including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and streaming network ESPN3, accessible through WatchESPN and the ESPN App.

Fans can follow the ICC on social media at @intchampionscup for exclusive content and announcements, and join the conversation using #2017ICC. Fans can sign up for up news, updates and ticket information at www.internationalchampionscup.com.</s>Neymar has advised Barcelona that he wishes to leave the club, although the Blaugrana have made it clear he will not depart for any amount less than his €222 million release clause.

The Blaugrana confirmed on Wednesday on Twitter that Neymar was excused from training, with reports swirling that he was close to completing a move to Paris Saint-Germain, per Julien Laurens of The Guardian.

Barcelona then released the following statement on their website, noting Neymar has made his intentions clear to move:

"The player Neymar Jr, accompanied by his father and agent, has informed FC Barcelona this morning of his decision to leave the Club in a meeting held at the Club’s offices.

"Faced with this position, the Club has informed them they refer to the buy-out clause of his existing contract which as of July 1 totals €222 million which will have to be deposited in its entirety.

"Furthermore, in reply to the claim for the contract extension bonus, the Club has once again made it clear that the amount remains deposited with a notary until the case is resolved.

"The player remains under contract at FC Barcelona but with temporary permission to not take part in training sessions."

Momentum appears to have gathered quickly over Neymar's proposed move to Paris. It's been suggested by the player's agent Wagner Ribeiro to Cadena COPE (h/t Get French Football News) that PSG will move quickly to get this one boxed off:

According to Sport, the Brazilian arrived at training on Wednesday to say individual farewells to all members of the Barcelona squad.

According to Sky Sports' Guillem Balague, "key players were fed up with situation and wanted him to say it [goodbye] to the group."

As noted by The Guardian's Sid Lowe, it appears Barcelona have been waiting until the end of their pre-season tour before addressing the Neymar issue head on:

It means, provided PSG do go on to match the buyout amount in Neymar's contract, that the Brazilian will become the most expensive player in history. His trigger fee is more than double the amount Manchester United paid—£89 million—to sign Paul Pogba from Juventus last summer.

The Parisians will land a wonderful footballer nonetheless. Neymar has scored goals and made goals consistently throughout his Barca career, as well as turning in some massive displays in big games.

But what makes Neymar so special is the way he plays. There's an X-factor to his football that few other players in the world can conjure; he quickens pulses and draws gasps with some of his footwork and ingenuity.

With that in mind, journalist Simon Harrison believes that Neymar may well be worth the massive transfer fee PSG are set to shell out:

The imminent departure will heap pressure on Barcelona to make a massive signing before the window shuts. There's no natural replacement for Neymar in the squad and no talents pushing for a spot in the senior side from La Masia, while their great rivals Real Madrid are the dominant force in world football.

And as remarkable as it may sound, in the modern-day transfer market, €222 million may not be enough to fill the void left by the Brazilian and bolster their squad elsewhere.</s>After a whirlwind couple of weeks, Neymar on Friday was formally introduced as the newest member of Paris Saint-Germain after the French soccer giant agreed to a world-record transfer fee of $263 million.

On top of that, Neymar's new five-year contract will come with an annual salary of $53 million, making him the highest-paid footballer in the world. In total, PSG will eventually pay more than $500 million for Neymar's services.

While we can debate whether Neymar deserves to be the highest-paid player in the world, it is the transfer fee that is the most jaw-dropping. To get a better sense of just how big it was, here is how it compares with the largest reported transfer fees, according to the BBC. Nobody else is even close to Neymar.</s>Neymar’s move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain has entered legal limbo as La Liga has rejected the €222 million payment deposited by his lawyer.

The 25-year-old was expected to complete the move on Friday so as to play a part in PSG’s Ligue 1 opener on Saturday against Amiens.

However, the Spanish league on Thursday rejected the cheque deposited by Neymar’s lawyer, Juan de Dios Crespo, to trigger the release clause.

“We can confirm Neymar legal representatives went to LaLiga to pay buyout clause and it has been rejected,” La Liga said in a statement.

“That’s all the information we are going to give for the moment.”

The decision by La Liga puts the transfer in an unprecedented situation, although it did not come as a surprise to followers of the world-record move bid.

La Liga president, Javier Tebas, earlier said the organisation would reject that payment due to concerns over Financial Fair Play (FFP).

“Even if PSG do not meet the release clause we are going to report them,” Tebas told a newspaper, Sport on Tuesday.

“We have already warned the president of Paris Saint-Germain that we would do so and we see that PSG’s policy has continued in the same manner.

“They cannot invent some numbers where their commercial rights exceed those of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Nobody believes that.”

But PSG remains confident of forcing through the transfer.

The club were knocked out of UEFA Champions League in the quarter finals last season by Barcelona after, ironically, Neymar inspired a 6-1 comeback at Camp Nou after PSG had won the first leg 4-0.
In association football, Paris Saint-Germain sign Neymar from FC Barcelona for a world-record transfer fee of €222 million (£200 million, US$264 million).