Paris Saint-Germain have officially confirmed the signing of Barcelona's Neymar on a five-year deal reportedly worth €600,000 (£540,000) per week after tax for a world record fee of €222m (£200m, $262m).

The Brazilian had been the focus of the summer transfer window after it emerged that he was open to a move to Paris with reports stating that the Ligue 1 side were ready to pay his release clause.

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After weeks of speculation and back-and-forth news that the deal could be on and off, Barcelona confirmed that Neymar's release clause had been paid before the transfer was officially announced by the French side on Thursday night (3 August).

"I am extremely happy to join Paris Saint-Germain," Neymar said following the move. "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 teammates is to help the club to conquer the titles that their fans want."

"Paris Saint-Germain's ambition attracted me to the club, along with the passion and the energy this brings. I played 4 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."

Neymar
Neymar is now officially the world's most expensive player Getty Images

The big money move was masterminded by club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi who spoke about how PSG have continued to grow over the years and will hope to realise their greatest dreams which would most likely include Champions League glory.

"In six years, we have built a very ambitious project that has already taken us to the highest level of national and European football," Al-Khelaifi added.

"With the arrival of Neymar Jr, I am convinced that we will come even closer, with the support of our faithful fans, to realising our greatest dreams."

The 25-year-old will wear the number 10 jersey, previously worn by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and will officially be presented by the Qatari-owned club at a press conference on Friday (4 August) at the Parc des Princes, just a day before PSG's opening Ligue 1 game against Amiens.

Neymar joined the Catalans in 2013 from Santos and was seen as the ideal successor to Lionel Messi. He went on to make 186 appearances in all competitions, scoring 105 goals and winning two La Liga titles, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey three times.

Barcelona FC