How could PSG afford Neymar?

If Neymar is indeed to move to PSG this summer, the deal will smash the world transfer record, set by Paul Pogba's move to Manchester United last summer, but can PSG even afford €222m?

'BBC Sport' claims that the fee would represent almost 1/3 of the club's value for just one player, compare that to AC Milan who have spent a similar fee on 10 players this summer.

It has been suggested that the French giants could spreading the payments over the length of Neymar's contract.

Football finance expert Dr Rob Wilson of Sheffield Hallam University claims that this is common practice with transfer deal these day, for example with a fee of €222m, if Neymar were to sign a 10-year contract, PSG would pay Barca €22m per year.

However, this flies in the face of suggestions that the fee has to be paid in one installment in order to trigger the release clause, which if it is true, would rule this option out, barring some sort of agreement from Barca themselves.

PSG could of course use players in part-exchange to bring the 'real' fee for the Brazilian down. The Catalan side have been batting their eyelashes at midfielder Marco Verratti all summer, whilst they are also understood to be monitoring Angel Di Maria and Lucas Moura's respective situations.

Dr Wilson did however rubbish suggestion that PSG could recoup their outlay in shirt sales, calling the idea a "myth" and saying: "The shirt manufacturer will take the lion's share of the profits from the sales." 

The fees paid to clubs by shirt manufacturers are set in stone at the start of the season and are thus unaffected by shirt sales.

That leaves PSG looking at either player sales or a new commercial partner or sponsor if they are to find the funds to sign the 25-year-old Brazilian.