Neymar's Transfer from Santos to Barcelona to Be Investigated by FIFA

The 2013 transfer of Barcelona soccer star Neymar has come under fire in recent days following inquiries from his former club, Santos, and FIFA has reportedly decided to take action at the behest of the Brazilian side.

According to Reuters, FIFA announced Friday it is investigating Santos' claims of a breach of contract but didn't disclose other details. 

"We can confirm that we received a claim from the club Santos concerning the player Neymar and the club FC Barcelona," FIFA said in a statement, per Reuters. "The matter is currently pending and being investigated."

Santos also confirmed its role in the investigation to Reuters.

"Santos have not made any additional request to FIFA, the procedure is underway as requested initially," the team said in a statement. "Santos are only trying to protect our rights and obtain compensation for the damages we have suffered."

Sport also reported Neymar's former club is seeking payments of approximately €55 million after the total value of the transfer was revealed to be larger than the original figures. 

According to Reuters, the actual value of Neymar's transfer clocked in at €86.2 million after signing bonuses and payments to the forward's family were completed. Once the details were disclosed, it was revealed €17.1 million of that total transfer fee was paid to Santos, and the Brazilian side is looking to recoup payments after a transfer figure of €57.1 million was originally reported. 

According to Sport, Santos has also asked FIFA to suspend Neymar for six months, although the club denied those claims Friday, per Reuters.

Santos' original claim stems from perceived wrongdoing regarding transfer rules, per Sport:

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Neymar’s accused by Santos of infringing Article 63 of FIFA’s Code of Discipline. In the same document they talk of the player’s 'bad faith' in violating different articles of FIFA’s transfer rules — articles 17(3) and 17(5) to be more specific.

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In six La Liga appearances so far this season, Neymar has tallied four goals, including three in his last five games. An indispensable component of Barcelona's attack, the Spanish side needs to hope Santos stays true to its word and doesn't press for a lengthy suspension.