Neymar due in Barcelona court over 2013 transfer from Santos

Paris St Germain and Brazil soccer star Neymar Jr. and eight others go on trial in Barcelona on Monday charged with fraud and corruption over the player's transfer to Barcelona from Santos in 2013.

Neymar and his father landed in Spain early on Monday morning and hopped in a van towards downtown Barcelona after the football player took the time to sign an autograph for a fan at the city's airport, a Reuters witness said.

Spanish prosecutors are seeking a two-year prison term and a €10 million fine for Neymar. They are also seeking a five-year jail term for former Barca president Sandro Rosell and an €8.4m fine for the club.

The case centres on the claim made by Brazilian investment firm DIS, which owned 40% of the rights to Neymar when he was at Santos, that it lost out on its rightful cut from the player's transfer because the value of the deal was understated.

DIS has demanded a much heavier five-year jail term for Neymar, fines worth €149m euros in total, and for the player to be disqualified from playing for the length of any sentence handed down by the judge.

Along with Neymar, 30 - who is expected to be at the court on Monday morning - the defendants include his parents, representatives of the two clubs, former Barca presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Rosell, and former Santos president Odilio Rodrigues.

"Neymar, with the connivance of his parents and the boards of directors of Barcelona and Santos, betrayed the trust of my clients," DIS lawyer Paulo Nasser told a news conference in Barcelona on Thursday.

"The real cost of the transaction (between Santos and Barcelona) was €82m euros, and only €17m appeared as the official transfer," Nasser said.

He said that Neymar was also not sold to the highest bidder, as there were