Barcelona confirm Paris Saint-Germain-bound Neymar's €222m release clause has been paid

Barcelona have confirmed that Neymar has paid his mammoth €222m (£200m, $262m) buyout clause ahead of a record-breaking move to French giants Paris Saint-Germain.

It seemed that the Brazil superstar's proposed transfer to France's capital had hit a snag earlier on Thursday (3 August) after La Liga rejected PSG's attempted payment of the attacker's 'termination clause'.

The league's president Javier Tebas accused the Parisians, heavily backed by Gulf state Qatar, of "financial doping", telling AS: "La Liga is positing that state-backed clubs that compete using 'financial doping' could destabilise professional football in Europe".

But after a brief period of uncertainty, Barcelona confirmed that they have received the full payment of the clause after Neymar's lawyers visited their offices on Thursday afternoon in order to push through the transaction. In Spain, a player must buy himself out of his contract with his current club in order to join another.

A deal as gargantuan as this one will always come with potential legal issues, and Barcelona hinted that trouble still may lie ahead. The Blaugrana stated that they are passing on the details of the deal to Uefa, who will now examine "the disciplinary responsibilities" that are tied in with the move that has shocked football and blown the previous world transfer record – Manchester United's £89m signing of Paul Pogba - out the water.

A short statement on Barcelona's official website read: "On Thursday afternoon Neymar Jr's legal representatives visited in person the club's offices and made the payment of 222 million euros in the player's name with regards to the unilateral termination of the contract that united both parties.

"As such, the club will pass on to UEFA the details of the above operation so that they can determine the disciplinary responsibilities that may arise from this case."

With the departure of Neymar now confirmed, Barcelona will now turn their attention to replacing the former Santos wunderkind. They have been linked with a number of supremely gifted stars and are believed to be pursuing a deal for Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho, but Jurgen Klopp has stressed on many occasions that the talented Brazilian will remain at Anfield beyond this summer.

Borussia Dortmund's Ousmane Dembele, Juventus forward Paulo Dybala and Monaco forward Kylian Mbappe have all been linked with a move to Barcelona, who could start a flurry of incredible transfer activity as they bid to find Neymar's successor.

Neymar will be the fourth Barcelona player to leave the club this summer following the departures of Cristian Tello, Jerome Mathieu and Jordi Masip. Ernesto Valverde's side have already signed Marlon Santos, Gerard Deulofeu and Nelson Semedo this summer, but that number is expected to rise between now and the end of the transfer window.