Judicial sources revealed on Wednesday that Neymar da Silva Santos Junior is due to face trial in October over alleged irregularities in his transfer to Barcelona.
The Brazilian international, his parents, and former Barcelona presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu will be tried for alleged corruption related to the forward’s move from Santos to Barcelona in 2013.
The case stems 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 said it actually cost at least 83.3 million euros.
The DIS, which received 6.8 million of the 17.1 million euros paid to Santos, have alleged that Barca and Neymar joined forces to hide the real amount of the transfer.
The prosecution has requested a two-year prison sentence for Neymar, but he has insisted he was only focused on football and that he blindly trusted his father, who is also his agent.