Barcelona star Neymar ordered to appear in court in fraud probe

AFP reports that the Brazil star, both of his parents, Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu, his predecessor Sandro Rosell and two directors from Santos have all been called to give evidence.

Neymar is set to appear in Spain’s national court on February 2.

"The judge ... believes that the prosecutor's requests are 'relevant, necessary and balanced' for them to require an examination of the facts," the court said in a statement on Wednesday.

Neither Barcelona, Neymar or any of the other defendants could immediately be reached for comment.

The various parties have been called to testify regarding the transfer which took Neymar from Santos to Barcelona in 2013 for a disputed transfer fee.

A company called DIS owned a percentage of Neymar’s registration at the time of the transfer and have taken legal action, claiming they did not receive the correct amount when he made his move to Camp Nou.

The transfer was reported to be worth €57 million (£48.6m).

The club has said it acted "fully within the law" and rejected the accusations contained in the DIS suit.

The fund, which owned 40 percent of Neymar's rights when he was at Santos, alleges it was paid far less than it was entitled to when the player agreed to join the Spanish and European champions in 2013.

The complaint was the latest twist to a saga that has also led to Barca, Rosell and Bartomeu facing trial for tax fraud.

Bartomeu was a vice president under Rosell when Neymar was signed in a complex deal involving multiple contracts.

Bartomeu, Rosell, who resigned over the allegations, and the club have been accused of defrauding the tax office of some 13 million euros. All three have denied any wrongdoing.

Prosecutors have asked for a prison sentence of two years and three months for Bartomeu and 7-1/2 years for Rosell, plus fines and payments of outstanding taxes totalling more than 60 million euros.

The tax probe was launched after a club member questioned the figures given for the Neymar deal. Barca initially said they paid 57.1 million euros but later admitted the cost was nearer 100 million.