Neymar moves into sprawling mansion near PSG training ground

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain’s Brazilian superstar Neymar has moved into a five-storey, 1,000-square-metre (10,800 square foot) mansion in the posh western Paris suburb of Bougival, sources said Friday.

The town has been home to a host of celebrities in the past including French actor Gerard Depardieu and Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho, and is just a few kilometres from the PSG training centre in the nearby town of Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

“The move began last week,” an informed source told AFP. Neymar had been camping in a luxury Paris hotel since his transfer to PSG last month.

The property, an architect’s home built in the 1950s, is on a hillock and has 5,000 square metres of grounds and an indoor pool, a real estate professional said.

“It’s an exceptional property and very impressive. The house has never been on the market,” he said, adding that Neymar was renting it.

At 25, Neymar became the world’s most expensive footballer when he was snapped up by PSG in a 222-million-euro ($264 million) move.

Despite being under contract, Barcelona were powerless to stop the transfer as the French side met the buyout clause in Neymar’s contract.