(CNN) Neymar has told Barcelona that he wants to leave, the club confirmed Wednesday.

The 25-year-old informed his teammates at the start of a training session, which coach Ernesto Valverde gave the Brazilian permission to miss in order to resolve his future.

The announcement comes amid mounting speculation Neymar is set to join Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record deal.

"The player Neymar Jr, accompanied by his father and agent, has informed FC Barcelona this morning of his decision to leave the club in a meeting held at the club's offices," read a statement from Barcelona.

"Faced with this position, the club has informed them they refer to the buy-out clause of his existing contract which as of 1 July totals 222 million euros (approximately $262M) which will have to be deposited in its entirety.

"Furthermore, in reply to the claim for the contract extension bonus, the club has once again made it clear that the amount remains deposited with a notary until the case is resolved.

"The player remains under contract at FC Barcelona but with temporary permission to not take part in training sessions."

Neymar Jr hasn't trained on Wednesday with the permission of the coach #FCBlive — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 2, 2017

Marcelo Bechler, the Brazilian journalist who first reported the expected transfer back in July, told CNN Neymar's decision to move is born out of the desire to one day be crowned the world's best footballer.

Fue un placer enorme haber compartido todos estos años con vos, amigo @neymarjr. Te deseo mucha suerte en esta nueva etapa de tu vida. Nos vemos Tkm A post shared by Leo Messi (@leomessi) on Aug 2, 2017 at 6:05am PDT

"Neymar thinks he can be the best player in the world," Bechler said. "And it cannot happen if he plays with (Lionel) Messi.

"They are friends but Neymar can't play with Messi and be the best player in the world, so that's why he's made the decision to leave Barcelona."

In response to Neymar's likely departure, his teammate and "friend" Messi posted an emotional farewell video on Instagram.

"It was an enormous pleasure to have shared all these years with you, my friend," the Argentine wrote. "I wish you lots of luck in this new chapter of your life.

"See you, I love you a lot."

As one third of a feared triumvirate alongside Messi and Luis Suarez, Neymar has scored over 100 goals for the Catalan club, helping them win the Champions League, two La Liga titles and three Copa del Reys since his arrival in 2013.

He signed a new five-year deal with Barcelona in 2016.

Photos: Neymar: The world's most expensive footballer After telling Barcelona he wanted to leave the club, Brazilian football star Neymar is heading to Paris Saint-Germain. PSG has activated his $263 million buyout clause, which is a world-record fee for a player transfer. Hide Caption 1 of 18 Photos: Neymar: The world's most expensive footballer Neymar fends off Japan's Takuya Okamoto during the U-17 World Cup in October 2009. Earlier that year, Neymar made his professional debut for Brazilian club Santos -- the same club that once fielded the legendary Pele. Hide Caption 2 of 18 Photos: Neymar: The world's most expensive footballer Neymar makes a heart gesture after scoring a goal for Santos in August 2010. That season, he scored 42 goals in all club competitions. Hide Caption 3 of 18 Photos: Neymar: The world's most expensive footballer Neymar celebrates after Santos won the Copa Libertadores in June 2011. It was the first time since 1963 that Santos had won the top club competition in South America. Hide Caption 4 of 18 Photos: Neymar: The world's most expensive footballer Neymar battles Argentina's Lionel Messi during an international friendly in June 2012. The two would later become teammates at Barcelona. Hide Caption 5 of 18 Photos: Neymar: The world's most expensive footballer Neymar holds his son, Davi Lucca, at a Santos match in May 2013. Hide Caption 6 of 18 Photos: Neymar: The world's most expensive footballer In June 2013, Neymar was unveiled as Barcelona's new star signing. Hide Caption 7 of 18 Photos: Neymar: The world's most expensive footballer Brazil was the host of the 2014 World Cup, but the tournament ended painfully for Neymar. He suffered a fractured vertebra in the quarterfinal victory against Colombia, and the Brazilians were trounced by Germany in the semifinals. Hide Caption 8 of 18 Photos: Neymar: The world's most expensive footballer Neymar lifts the trophy after Barcelona won the Champions League in June 2015. It completed a historic treble for the Spanish club, which also won the league and the Copa del Rey that season. Hide Caption 9 of 18 Photos: Neymar: The world's most expensive footballer From left, Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez pose for a photo after Barcelona won the FIFA Club World Cup in December 2015. The three attacking players have been an imposing force together. Hide Caption 10 of 18 Photos: Neymar: The world's most expensive footballer Neymar competes with Germany's Sven Bender during the 2016 Olympic final in Rio de Janeiro. Neymar's goal in the penalty shootout clinched the gold medal for Brazil. Hide Caption 11 of 18 Photos: Neymar: The world's most expensive footballer Neymar and his Brazilian teammates show off their Olympic gold medals. Hide Caption 12 of 18 Photos: Neymar: The world's most expensive footballer Neymar celebrates a goal against Colombia during a World Cup qualifier in September 2016. He has scored more than 50 goals for his country's senior team. Hide Caption 13 of 18 Photos: Neymar: The world's most expensive footballer Since arriving to Barcelona in 2013, Neymar has helped the club win the Champions League, two league titles and three Copa del Reys. He has scored more than 100 goals. Hide Caption 14 of 18 Photos: Neymar: The world's most expensive footballer Neymar tries an overhead kick during a Spanish league match against Villarreal in May. Hide Caption 15 of 18 Photos: Neymar: The world's most expensive footballer Neymar sits next to another world-famous athlete -- Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton -- while attending Game 2 of the NBA Finals in June. Hide Caption 16 of 18 Photos: Neymar: The world's most expensive footballer A boy wearing Neymar's jersey walks past a new Barcelona poster -- without Neymar -- as it is put up outside the Camp Nou stadium on Wednesday, August 2. Hide Caption 17 of 18 Photos: Neymar: The world's most expensive footballer Neymar juggles a ball Friday, August 4, after he was unveiled to the media as Paris Saint-Germain's newest signing. His transfer fee was more than double the previous world record. Hide Caption 18 of 18

However, La Liga president Javier Tebas stood by comments that the league would oppose the deal as they believe the French club is failing to comply with Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

FFP was implemented by European football's governing body UEFA in an attempt to prevent reckless spending by clubs and to increase competition.

"We will not accept this money from a club like PSG," Tebas told Madrid daily newspaper AS. "Especially when this club is infringing rules and laws."

In a statement to CNN, UEFA said it had not yet received a complaint regarding any possible deal for Neymar.

"All clubs in Europe must respect financial fair-play rules and must demonstrate that they do not have losses of more than 30m euros over three years," added the statement.

"As part of the continuous monitoring of clubs under financial fair play regulations, UEFA will look into the details of this transfer in due course to ensure PSG are compliant with FFP requirements.

"The transfer of Neymar to PSG will have an effect on the club finances over several years but the impact of such an operation cannot be judged in advance, notably as PSG could well sell several players for a significant amount.

"We shall therefore only make calculations at the end and make sure that they respect the rules."

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This latest development comes despite club officials last week saying Neymar would "200%" be staying at the Nou Camp.

Neymar last appeared for Barcelona on Sunday, providing an assist for Gerard Pique to score the winner against El Clasico rivals Real Madrid in the International Champions Cup.