Barcelona has reportedly won the race to sign Brazilian sensation Neymar by securing a 60 million-euro deal for the striker.
Barcelona has reportedly won the race to sign Brazilian sensation Neymar by securing a 60 million-euro deal for the striker.The Catalan club is hopeful of bringing Neymar to the Camp Nou after the Olympic Games although it is unlikely he will move before the 2013-14 season, Lancenet reported.The 20-year-old is currently contracted with Brazilian club Santos until the 2014 World Cup.Barcelona is understood to have made a down-payment for the star which guarantees his transfer to the reigning FIFA Club World Cup champion.News of the deal follows calls from former Brazil international strikers Ronaldo and Rivaldo for Neymar to join a European club to fulfill his potential.The reported deal ends the hopes of Chelsea, Juventus and Real Madrid, which have also expressed their interest in the starlet.Barcelona vice president Josep Maria Bartomeu has hinted at a summer move for Neymar, declaring that he hopes the striker joins the club after the conclusion of the Olympic Games.Catalunya has repeatedly been suggested as the likeliest destination for the Santos forward, who is currently away on international duty with Brazil in the quest for a gold medal at London 2012.The Blaugrana supremo has now confirmed the side’s interest in the 20-year-old and admitted that, in an ideal world, Neymar would arrive at Camp Nou after the summer showpiece event."We would all like Neymar to come after the Olympics,” Bartomeu told Barca supporters’ groups in Morocco ahead of Saturday’s friendly with Raja Casablanca."He is a Santos player [at the moment] but I am sure Neymar will come to Europe in the future, and when that moment arrives we will be attentive so he can sign for Barcelona.”