Barcelona star Neymar touches down in China as world record transfer rumours grow

Brazilian is the subject of a €200m tug-of-war between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain

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Neymar is thought to be struggling with the choice of leaving Barcelona to move to Paris Saint-Germain or staying put. Photo: AFP

Published: 3:28pm, 31 Jul 2017Updated: 3:28pm, 31 Jul 2017

Neymar greeted fans in Shanghai on Monday as speculation mounted that the Brazil star could be set to quit Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain for a world-record €222 million (HK$2.03 billion).

The 25-year-old striker is at the centre of an apparent tug of war between the two European giants in what would be the most expensive transfer fee in football history.

A training spat with new Barcelona signing Nelson Semedo during a pre-season tour in Miami ramped up chatter that Neymar could be about to swap Spain for the French capital.

Neymar, who has remained tight-lipped about the transfer rumours, posted a message for Chinese fans on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, after arriving for a promotional visit.

Neymar played for Barcelona on Saturday against Real Madrid in a pre-season friendly. Photo: AFP

“Ni Hao China! I’m Neymar Jr. and I’ve just arrived in China,” he wrote on Monday.

“I’m in Shanghai at the moment. I would like to send a huge hug to all my Chinese fans, thank you very much for your support.”

He posted messages in English and Chinese and asked for suggestions as to what he should do while in Shanghai, where he was scheduled to appear at an event for a fashion brand later on Monday.