Brazilian striker Neymar has confirmed he will be joining
Barcelona next season and will sign his contract on Monday. The 21-year-old has chosen Barca over their Spanish rivals Real
Madrid, after Santos finally allowed their star forward to leave
the club. Many felt that Santos would not permit Neymar to quit South
America until after next year's World Cup finals in Brazil. But he will now join the recently-crowned La Liga champions
at the conclusion of next month's Confederations Cup. Neymar said: "On Monday I'm signing a contract with
Barcelona. "My family and friends already know about my decision. I
want to thank Santos' fans for these nine incredible years. My
feelings for the club and the fans will never change. Santos stressed on Friday they had agreed to transfer Neymar,
allowing him to decide between two offers. The newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo put the latest offer from
Barcelona at around $36m.