Neymar the new face of megadeals

Barcelona's soccer player Neymar takes part in the Neymar Jr's Five soccer tournament in Santos, Brazil, July 8, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

Since QSI's takeover in 2011, PSG has failed to advance beyond the quarterfinals－most notably blowing a 40 first leg lead to lose 61 to Barcelona in the last 16 of last season's competition in March.

Coaxing 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 soccer 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, while Neymar has scored 105 goals and provided 80 assists in just 186 games.

However, his four-year spell in Spain has also been overshadowed by the murky transfer deal that 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 player's 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.

Meanwhile, Brazil fans see Neymar as the key to a sixth World Cup title in Russia next year and the first Brazilian to win the Ballon d'Or since Kaka in 2007.

In a recent poll carried out by Globoesporte.com 75 percent of fans favored his transfer away from Barcelona.

In Brazil, Neymar is an icon, and the transfer has become a national issue.

AFP/CHINA DAILY