NEYMAR is on the verge of making the summer's blockbuster move after Barcelona granted him permission to discuss a transfer that will shatter the world-record transfer fee.

The Brazilian forward informed Barcelona on Wednesday that he wants to leave and has been told by his current employers that suitors Paris St Germain will have to pay Neymar's buy-out clause of 222million euros (£198.5million) immediately.

That would obliterate the 105 million euro record deal - worth £89million at the time - that took Paul Pogba from Juventus to Manchester United last summer.

And reports in France suggest the deal to take Neymar to PSG on a five-year contract could now be finalised this week. The newspaper Le Parisien reported Neymar is set to earn 30 million euros net per year, or close to 600,000 euros each week after tax.

With Barcelona having publicly confirmed Neymar's desire to leave and his team-mate Lionel Messi wishing him good luck on social media, a deal that once appeared fanciful looks set to come to fruition.

A club statement from Barcelona read: "Neymar Jr, accompanied by his father and agent, has informed FC Barcelona this morning (Wednesday) of his decision to leave the club in a meeting held at the club's offices.

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

The statement added: "The player remains under contract at FC Barcelona but with temporary permission to not take part in training sessions."

Neymar, 25, has scored over 100 goals in four years with the LaLiga club and has a current deal that runs until 2021.

At the Nou Camp he formed the fabled MSN strike partnership along with Messi and Luis Suarez that delivered a treble of league, cup and Champions League in the 2014-15 season.

Messi posted a message on his Instagram account on Wednesday with a series of images of him and Neymar, alongside the caption: "It was an enormous pleasure to have shared all these years with you friend @neymarjr I wish you good luck in this new stage of your life."

Neymar later responded with the comment: "Thank you brother...I will miss you uncle!"

French reports have claimed the former Santos player met with PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi in Qatar earlier this week, although the latter gave little away when questioned on the deal by Moroccan broadcaster Medi 1 TV over the weekend.

In quotes reported by various European news outlets on Tuesday, Al-Khelaifi said: "Right now, Neymar is a Barcelona player and we'll see what happens with him.

"We respect all contracts signed with other clubs and players. To be honest, I'd rather not to talk about this matter now. I hope to do it at another time."

The sheer scale of the transfer has led to suggestions Barcelona could make a complaint to UEFA regarding Financial Fair Play regulations, and whether Paris St Germain are adhering to the rules. UEFA has yet to receive a complaint.