Barcelona and Neymar have been embroiled in legal trouble ever since the Brazilian’s big-money move to Camp Nou back in 2013.
As per the latest reports, the Spanish giants managed to agree on a settlement earlier this year, but a Spanish public prosecutor has reopened the case and wants the authorities to send Neymar to prison on charges of tax evasion.
Barcelona paid a £4.7m fine back in June in order to avoid trial. Judge José de la Mata archived the case at that time.
There has been constant talk of Neymar and his father being involved in a corruption case over his transfer from Santos, and now the duo are set to stand trial along with the former Barcelona president, Sandro Rosell. After reopening the case, Judge Jose Perals has also demanded a prison sentence for Rosell and a £7.2m fine for the Spanish champions.
Neymar and Barcelona’s legal troubles began when Brazilian investment group, DIS, accused the player and the club of paying them less money than it was entitled to from the transfer fee. The issue forced the former club president, Rosell, to resign in 2014 and then to testify in court.
Earlier this year, Neymar’s teammate and Argentine superstar, Lionel Messi, was also sentenced to 21 months in prison for tax fraud. However, Messi appealed against the sentence and got it suspended.
The news will come as a major blow for Barcelona, who were hoping to move on from this situation after having settled the case a few months ago. Neymar has been a crucial player for them over the last few seasons, and the last thing they would want is the player getting distracted from football.
Neymar signed a new five-year contract with Barcelona in October.
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