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Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar will reportedly go on trial for alleged corruption just weeks before Brazil's World Cup campaign gets underway in Qatar.
Neymar, 30, is set to stand trial over alleged irregularities regarding his transfer from Santos to Barcelona in 2013, according to Spanish newspaper El Pais.
Neymar is accused of fraud and corruption in relation to the transfer, with former Barcelona presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu and Neymar's parents also facing the same allegations.
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All of the defendants deny the allegations against them but appeals made by them to Spain's High Court have been rejected, with the case now going to trial.
It is expected to conclude on October 31 – just three weeks before the start of the World Cup in Qatar.
The report claims Spanish prosecutors are seeking a two-year prison sentence for Neymar and a fine of £8.4m.
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The complex case stems from a complaint filed seven years ago by DIS, a Brazilian investment fund which focuses on the football market.
DIS argued it was entitled to 40 per cent of Neymar's transfer fee when he left Santos for Barcelona.
But the company claims to have received less than it should have, alleging that part of the transfer fee concealed by Neymar, his family and Barcelona.
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It is also alleged that Neymar and his father, Neymar da Silva Santos, signed two 'simulated contracts' with Barcelona that ignored the fact that the footballer's 'federative rights' belonged to the Brazilian club Santos.
One of those contracts, which is said to be worth £33m, was allegedly conducted without the knowledge of Santos.
DIS are calling for Neymar to be banned for football for five years and sent to prison during that period. They are also seeking compensation of around £126m, according to the Daily Mail.
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In 2016, Barcelona agreed to pay a fine of €5.5m (£4.4m) to the Spanish authorities in an earlier case involving Neymar's transfer to the Catalan club.
Meanwhile, Neymar's £198m transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 was also overshadowed by legal rows.
Last year, Barcelona reached an 'amicable' out-of-court settlement with the Brazilian in relation to a series of long-running legal disputes.
Neymar had previously demanded that Barcelona him an unpaid renewal bonus, with the club responding by suing him for breach of contract after his move to the Parc des Princes.
Topics: Neymar, Paris Saint-Germain, Santos, Football, Brazil, Transfers, Ligue 1, Barcelona, La Liga
Rory O'Callaghan