Neymar is on the verge of making the summer's blockbuster move after Barcelona granted him permission to discuss a transfer that looks set to cost Paris St Germain at least £400million.
The Brazil striker told Barcelona on Wednesday that he wants to leave, and Paris St Germain are reportedly ready to pay the buy-out clause of 222 million euros (£198.5million).
Barcelona want that money in a lump sum if they are to sanction a transfer which would obliterate the 105 million euros record deal - worth £89million at the time - that took Paul Pogba from Juventus to Manchester United last summer.
Reports in France suggest the deal to take Neymar to PSG on a five-year contract could now be finalised this week. The newspaper Le Parisien reported Neymar is set to earn 30 million euros (£27million) net per year, or close to 600,000 euros (£540,000) each week after tax.
PSG can be backed at 10/1 with Sky Bet to win the Champions League as they prepare to welcome Neymar. Barcelona are joint-favourites at 5/1 with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
With the transfer fee, the extraordinary wages and the likelihood of further fees involved in the deal, Neymar's prospective new employers would be making a statement of their financial muscle.
With Barcelona having publicly confirmed Neymar's desire to leave and his team-mate Lionel Messi wishing him good luck on social media, a deal that once appeared fanciful looks set to come to fruition.
A statement released by Barcelona read: "Neymar Jr, accompanied by his father and agent, has informed FC Barcelona this morning (Wednesday) of his decision to leave the club in a meeting held at the club's offices.
"Faced with this position, the club has informed them they refer to the buy-out clause of his existing contract which as of 1 July totals 222 million euros, which will have to be deposited in its entirety."
The statement added: "The player remains under contract at FC Barcelona but with temporary permission to not take part in training sessions."
Neymar, 25, has scored over 100 goals in four years with the LaLiga club and has a deal that runs until 2021.
At the Nou Camp he formed the fabled MSN strike partnership along with Messi and Luis Suarez that delivered a treble of league, cup and Champions League in the 2014-15 season.
Messi posted a message on his Instagram account on Wednesday with a series of images of him and Neymar, alongside the caption: "It was an enormous pleasure to have shared all these years with you friend @neymarjr I wish you good luck in this new stage of your life."
Neymar later responded with the comment: "Thank you brother...I will miss you uncle!"
Former Barcelona striker Gary Lineker questioned the wisdom of the move, writing on Twitter: "Oh Neymar, there is only one direction to go from @FCBarcelona and that's backwards."
French reports have claimed the former Santos player met with PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi in Qatar earlier this week, although the latter gave little away when questioned on the deal by Moroccan broadcaster Medi 1 TV over the weekend.
In quotes reported by various European news outlets on Tuesday, Al-Khelaifi said: "Right now, Neymar is a Barcelona player and we'll see what happens with him.
"We respect all contracts signed with other clubs and players. To be honest, I'd rather not talk about this matter now. I hope to do it at another time."
The sheer scale of the transfer has led to suggestions Barcelona could make a complaint to UEFA regarding Financial Fair Play regulations, and whether Paris St Germain are adhering to the rules. UEFA has yet to receive a complaint.
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