Neymar was given permission to miss Barcelona training on Wednesday as speculation continues to mount that he is set to complete a world-record transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.

The Brazil international has been consistently linked with a move to PSG throughout the summer, with Les Parisiens reportedly willing to pay the €222million release clause in his contract.

Barca are keen to keep hold of the 25-year-old, but the Catalan giants released a statement on Wednesday revealing that the forward had been excused from training, amid speculation that he has already said goodbye to his team-mates.

“Neymar Jr hasn’t trained on Wednesday with the permission of the coach (Ernesto Valverde),” Barca tweeted.

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi hinted on Tuesday that a deal for Neymar could be close, however, the transfer is sure to be met by opposition, with La Liga president Javier Tebas having already questioned the legality of the move.

Tebas believes PSG would be breaking UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules by signing the Brazillian and he has stated that he would be willing to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the European Union.

Should Neymar join PSG then he will be tasked with spearheading the clubs so far elusive pursuit for Champions League glory.

Les Rouge-et-Bleu have not made it beyond the quarter-finals of Europe’s premier club competition since 1995, but they are priced at 11.00 to claim their maiden title this season.