Barcelona 'agree' deal to sign Neymar after 2014 World Cup?

Barcelona have sealed a deal to sign Santos' highly-rated Brazilian forward Neymar in 2014, according to Cadena SER radio.

The report claimed the Catalan giants have already paid €14.5 million of the total €58million transfer fee to Santos in order to secure the 20-year-old's signature.

"According to several reliable sources Barca have already paid a quarter of the €58million to Santos to guarantee the transfer of the player," Cadena SER claimed, adding that the date for his transfer was after the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.

The report added that the decision to seal the deal was taken by the player and his father against the wishes of his agent Wagner Ribeiro, who is believed to have favoured a move to Real Madrid for his client.

Barca had previously denied claims an agreement was in place for Neymar, who admitted after Santos' Club World Cup defeat to Barca back in December that it would be a "dream" to play for the Catalan side.

The Samba star's father later confessed Barca were a "special option" for Neymar, who has become an integral part of Brazil's national team and was the star of Santos' Copa Libertadores triumph last season.