Barcelona plan to sue former striker Neymar for €10.2 million ($12 million) that they believe they overpaid the Brazilian during his time at the club, according to a report
Neymar enjoyed a successful spell at Barca between 2013 and 2017 before joining Paris Saint-Germain for a world-record €222 million fee.
But according to Spanish newspaper El Mundo, an inspection from the tax office in Spain showed Barcelona "did not make the appropriate reductions when paying Neymar's taxes, according to an inspection carried out on Barcelona which lasted until 2015".
The Spanish tax office calculates Neymar benefitted from "unfair enrichment", the report added. A Barcelona source confirmed to AFP the club will now seek to reclaim the amount they are owed.
Neymar owes more unpaid tax than any other individual on a Spanish authorities' blacklist with debts of €34.6 million, according to an official document published in September.
According to media reports Spain's fiscal authorities are investigating two of Neymar's transfers, his arrival at the Camp Nou from Santos in 2013 and his switch to the French capital four years later.
Barca initially said they paid €57.1 million to sign the forward from Brazilian side Santos before an investigation by the prosecutor's office in Madrid prompted the club to reveal the actual fee was €86.2 million with more than half of that paid to the player's parents.
Neymar signed a new contract in 2016 which triggered bonus payments but Barca refused to pay the remaining €26 million in add-ons after he left for the Parc des Princes the following summer.
In June, a Spanish court dismissed the forward's case against the club and told him to pay €6.79 million to Barca, who claimed he had violated his deal.
Despite their legal disputes, Barca have made several attempts to re-sign Neymar.
But a fresh bid seems impossible for now, given Barcelona's financial problems as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
