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Neymar transfer could be the most expensive deal in the history of football

Albert Gea / Reuters

Neymar's move from Santos to Barcelona is reportedly set to become the most expensive transfer deal football has ever seen.

The exact figure of the transfer, which took place ahead of the 2013-14 season, continues to rise as a result of a probe into the real cost of the controversial deal. Barcelona insist they paid no more than €57 million, while investigating magistrate Pablo Ruz claims Neymar cost €83.3 million and the Catalan club hid the real price in a tangle of contracts.

However, as high as those numbers are, they pale in comparison to what Barcelona will have actually paid should the prosecutors get their way.

According to Spanish daily Marca, the deal will top €158 million by the time all the figures have been totalled, an unparalleled amount in the history of the beautiful game.

When the transfer initially took place, it was reported as a €17.1-million deal. That figure then rose when Barcelona were forced to admit they had paid Neymar's father €40 million in damages for being unable to purchase the player's rights, which is how the club arrived at their calculated total of €57 million.

Unfortunately for Barcelona, the probe has revealed hidden costs, which include contracts signed with companies of Neymar's father for suspicious services, as well as an agreement with Santos for the first refusal on three players.

For those avoiding the math, the figure of €158 million means Barcelona will have paid nearly 10 times more than the initially-reported fee.

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