Neymar is set to be presented as a Barcelona player on June 3, according to reports in the Catalan Press.
Sport have claimed that the 21-year-old will put pen-to-paper on a five-year deal with the Blaugrana on Monday, before flying over to Spain the following week to be officially presented by his new club.
The soap opera came to an end at 3.30am Sunday morning whenBarcelona announced that they had reached the basis of an agreement with Santos to sign the Brazil forward Neymar.
The fee has not been revealed, nor a contract signed but Neymar will join the Catalan club in the next few days in a deal understood to be worth close to €60m (£51.3m). Barcelona hope to stage a presentation soon after the Spanish league season finishes on 1 June.
That announcement had been proceeded by Neymar writing online: "I am not going to wait until Monday. My family and friends now know my decision. On Monday I will sign with Barcelona."
The 21-year-old had only one year to run on his contract and his signing means that he will not now stay in Brazil until the 2014 World Cup. The timing of the announcement was dictated by the time difference between Spain and Brazil but it is not the first time Barcelona have chosen a curious moment to announce a major signing: Cesc Fábregas's transfer from Arsenal was made official during half-time in a Real Madrid-Barcelona Supercopa final.
Neymar's contractual situation was complex, with a number of interested parties involved: the DIS investment group held 40% of his economic rights while another group, TEISA, held 5% and Santos 55%.
But Santos held 100% of his registration. In the end, Barcelona reportedly agreed to pay Santos and those partners around €28m, plus a further €30m to the player and close to €9m in agents' fees. A down payment of €10m had already been made in January 2011. Neymar will sign a five-year contract on a salary of €7m a season. In total, that means the package is worth more than €100m.
Neymar departed Santos's headquarters declaring it the "happiest day of my life". This is a victory for Barcelona's president, Sandro Rosell, who has been determined to sign Neymar. Rosell, a former Nike Brazil executive who still has significant business interests and contacts in the country, made Neymar his priority. Despite interest from Madrid, whose president Florentino Pérez appeared determined to torpedo the bid, or at least make it more expensive, the decision was clear. Neymar's father said that his son had chosen the club that best suits his style.
Despite the saga and the late involvement of Madrid, this was a deal that seemed destined to end with the player joining Barcelona. The first glimpse of what had been prepared came in January 2011 when Barcelona's accounts included a mysterious €10m payment, "in accordance with [future] agreements worth 40m". That was an agreement that bound the two parties together, stipulating a penalty clause should either side break the deal. The question then was whether they would bring Neymar to Spain this summer or next.
Barcelona's website described Neymar as a creative attacker and goalscorer, a player of fine technique and outstanding style. "He is recognised by many and has been eulogised by Pelé, whose successor he is considered to be," it noted.
The newspaper Marca, which makes no secret of its preference for Madrid, called his partnership with Leo Messi "frightening". Brazil's biggest star will now play alongside Argentina's captain.
Barcelona have certainly become aware of the need for more variety and creativity in attack and Neymar should be capable of fitting into their formation and philosophy. Yet the signing, which feels to some like a matter of presidential prerogative rather than tactical necessity, has provoked significant doubts – not least because Barcelona's priority was a defender.
Others have questioned whether Neymar, who has scored 20 goals in 32 appearance for Brazil, is as good as he appears and if he will adapt sufficiently quickly to the European game.
Then there is the issue of his ability to combine with Messi, around whom Barcelona have built their team. Asked about the signing of the Brazilian, Johan Cruyff, the former Barcelona player and coach, and long a critic of Rosell, said: "Messi and Neymar? Two captains on one boat doesn't work."
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