Barcelona confirms departure of Brazil forward Neymar

Barcelona, Aug 2 (IANS) Brazil star forward Neymar has told Spanish football club Barcelona that he has decided to leave, the team said on Wednesday.

An official statement on Bar?a's website said that the player, his father and his agent informed the team of the decision early in the morning at the club's offices, before heading to the Joan Gamper sports city to bid farewell to his teammates who were involved in an official training session, reports Efe.

"Faced with this position, the club has informed them they refer to the buy-out clause of his existing contract which, as of July 1, totals 222 million euros ($262.6 million), which will have to be deposited in its entirety," the statement said.

It added that "the player remains under contract at FC Barcelona but with temporary permission to not take part in training sessions."

A Bar?a spokesman had previously told EFE via telephone that Neymar left the training premises shortly after saying goodbye to the other squad members without taking part in Wednesday's training.

Coach Ernesto Valverde allowed Neymar to skip the training session so that the Brazilian megastar could get his professional life in order, the spokesman explained.

As of early afternoon, Neymar was still listed by Barcelona as part of its first team: forward number 11.

Neymar, 25, has made 186 appearances and scored 105 goals since he arrived at the Catalan giants in 2013 for 86.2 million euros ($102 million).

Throughout the summer, speculation arose that he sought a move to French side Paris Saint-Germain.

Neymar had extended his contract with Barcelona last October, for which he was to receive a contract extension bonus of several million euros.

The club said that amount had been deposited with a notary until the case was fully resolved.