PSG sign Neymar from Barcelona in £200m world-record deal

The Brazilian joins the Ligue 1 side on a five-year contract following four years at the Nou Camp

Neymar moves to PSG as the world's most expensive signing in football history (Getty)

↵Neymar has completed his move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for a world-record fee worth £200m.

The 25-year-old joins the Ligue 1 side on a five-year contract following four years at the Nou Camp.

Neymar's move to Paris comfortably surpasses the previous transfer record set last summer when Paul Pogba returned to Manchester United for £89m, making the Brazilian the most expensive footballer in history.

It's understood that the forward will earn £40.7m a year before tax with the former French champions.

Neymar, a Champions League winner with Barcelona in 2015, has now committed to the challenge of landing Europe's top prize with PSG, telling his new team's official website: "I am extremely happy to join Paris St Germain.

"Since I arrived in Europe, 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 team-mates, is to help the club to conquer the titles that their fans want.

"PSG's ambition attracted me to the club, along with the passion and the energy this brings. I have played four seasons in Europe and I feel ready to take the challenge.

"From today, I will do everything I can to help my new team-mates, to open up new horizons for my club and to bring happiness to its millions of supporters around the world."

PSG said "his arrival into the Paris Saint-Germain family emphasises more than ever the club's aims to rise to the top of world football."

Barcelona terminated the Brazilian's contract late on Thursday evening after his legal representatives paid the £200m fee required to trigger his release clause.

This came in the wake of La Liga's initial attempts to block PSG's approach for the forward on the basis that such a transfer breached Uefa's Financial Fair Play rules.


 Neymar will be unveiled on Friday as a PSG player 
 (Getty Images)

France's own league body, the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), was quick to tell its Spanish counterpart to "abide by the rules", yet Neymar's team instead went to Barcelona directly to conclude the operation.

Barcelona have passed the details of the deal to Uefa and are keen for the governing body to "determine the disciplinary responsibilities that may arise from this case".

Neymar first informed Barcelona of his decision to leave the club earlier this week and was subsequently given permission by manager Ernesto Valverde to miss Wednesday's training session.

The Brazilian's Barca team-mates later posted their goodbyes on social media, with Lionel Messi wishing him luck for the "new stage of your life".

“Enormous pleasure to have shared all these years with you friend Neymar I wish you luck in this new stage of your life,” he wrote.

Neymar joins PSG following four seasons at Barcelona during which time he scored 105 goals and provided 80 assists for the Catalans.