Neymar, Bartomeu to face fraud enquiry regarding tranfer fee in Spanish court

Barcelona striker Neymar and president Josep Maria Bartomeu will face trial at a Spanish court, amidst claims that the Brazilian was paid more than the amount revealed by the club during his transfer from Santos.

Neymar, who was signed for a reported 65 million Euros by Barcelona in 2013, is believed to have been paid more.

The case has been brought by Brazilian investment fund DIS, which owned 40 per cent of his transfer rights when he was at Santos, the BBC reported.

Barcelona's president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, his predecessor, Sandro Rosell, as well as Neymar's father and his former club Santos have been named in the complaint by the company.

Investigators have alleged that Barcelona paid 83.3 million Euros for Neymar, but had declared only 57.1million Euro.

A judge had ruled last month that the initial case, which was for allegations that the club had tried to mislead tax authorities, should be heard by a court in Barcelona rather than in the National Court in Madrid.

The court has asked several European clubs for details of bids they had made for Neymar between 2009 and 2013, while he was at Santos. The clubs which have been named include Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.