Santos accept Barca, Madrid bids for Neymar

Brazilian club Santos have confirmed they have accepted two offers, believed to be from Barcelona and Real Madrid, for their 21-year-old star Neymar.

"In a meeting with representatives of the management committee of the club, Neymar Junior received the proposals received and he will analyse them in the coming days before taking a definitive decision," read a statement posted on the club's website late on Friday Brazilian time.

According to Spanish newspaper El Pais, the vice-president of Santos, Odilio Rodrigues, confirmed that the two offers received were from Barcelona and Real Madrid, adding "we did everything that was in our power to keep Neymar at Santos."

Neymar learned the details of the offers past midnight Brazilian time in the coastal city of Santos, but left Santos' headquarters without giving any hints about which team he will choose.

"I'm happy to know that these two clubs are interested in me. I'm very proud, it's one of the happiest moments of my life," a smiling Neymar said. "I'll look at both offers very carefully. I'll go home and make a decision along with my family. I'm not in a hurry. The decision may come in five minutes, in half an hour or in three days."

Neymar was accompanied by his dad, Neymar Silva Santos, who handles the player's career. He said it will be mostly up to the youngster to decide his future.

"We are not going to rush into a decision," Santos said. "We will talk about it and see what he wants to do, it's his decision."

Neymar's dad said the player was expected to play for Santos in the team's opening match in the Brazilian league on Sunday, against Flamengo in Brasilia.

The Brazilian international has long been a target for Barca, who reportedly had a bid turned down earlier in the week, but Real are believed to have now entered the race as president Florentino Perez plans a clear-out of the current squad after a disappointing season that led to the end of manager Jose Mourinho's time in the Spanish capital.

Neymar is out of contract next season, meaning he could have left for free this time next year, but any transfer does not just depend on Barca and Madrid reaching an agreement with Santos and the player as Santos only own 55% of his economic rights.

Therefore, the Spanish giants will also have to negotiate a deal with investment groups DIS, which owns 40% of his rights, and Teisa, which holds the remaining five percent.

Despite his tender age, Neymar has been a first-team regular for Santos for the past four years, scoring 156 goals and providing 77 assists in 256 matches.

He guided them to their first Copa Libertadores triumph since the days when Pele represented the club in the sixties in 2011, and has already established himself at international level, scoring 20 times in 32 appearances with Brazil.

This week Neymar topped the list of most marketable athletes in the world in a report published by SportsPro magazine, finishing ahead of Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and golfer Rory McIlroy. The list, produced in association with Eurosport, ranks athletes from across the world according to their marketing potential over the next three years.