Neymar to face trial over alleged irregularities in Barcelona transfer

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Brazilian football star Neymar is due to face trial in October over alleged irregularities in his transfer to Barcelona, judicial sources said on Wednesday.

Neymar, his parents, and former Barcelona presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu will be tried for alleged corruption related to the player's move from Santos to Barcelona in 2013.

Rosell and Bartomeu will also face fraud charges in the trial which is scheduled to take place from October 17 to 31.

Neymar left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 for a world-record 222 million euros, but it is his move from boyhood club Santos to Barca which has caused controversy.

The case originates from a complaint by Brazilian group DIS, the former owner of a percentage of the player's rights.

Barcelona officially said the transfer cost 57.1 million euros ($63.6 million), with 40 million euros going to Neymar's family and 17.1 million to Santos, but Spanish prosecutors later indicated that the deal actually costs at least 83.3 million euros.

DIS, which received 6.8 million of the 17.1 million euros paid to Santos, alleged that Barca and Neymar joined forces to hide the real amount of the transfer.

On Wednesday, DIS said it was "satisfied" that there is now a date for the trial of the case, which has been in the Spanish courts since 2016.

The prosecution has requested a two-year prison sentence for Neymar, but the player has insisted he was only focused on football and that he blindly trusted his father, who is also his agent.