His contract runs out in 2014. Technically we could get him for free and we are going to pay 58 mil. BS written all over it.
Exactly, I was surprised nobody thought of that. After the 2014 WC, it'll be up to the player to decide where wants to be and as things stand, his favorite destination seems to be Barcelona.
If there indeed is a deal, it would be something akin to Afellay's deal. Barcelona would pay less than the player is worth before his contract expires. So Santos will be happy to receive something and let the player go a season, or half a season, before his contract expires than to keep him (and pay his high wages) for a while longer and risk letting him go for free.
There's a rather interesting story on Goal about why Neymar rejected Madrid.
I have been watching "Neymar vs. Club" videos on YouTube and I'm convinced this guy will be a huge boost to our forward line. He needs to adapt his play, but you can clearly see how his full potential and effectiveness is hindered by his teammates/team tactics.
The two main concerns are his attitude and his physique.