Lionel Messi and his father have been reported as paying out a €5m fee to Spanish tax authorities after being accused of fraud earlier this year.
The duo are still due to appear in court in Gava, Catalonia this September to face allegations that they defrauded the state out of more then €4m in tax owed on the sale of the player’s image rights to third parties.
Whilst denying knowledge or active involvement in the case, Messi is reported this week by the courthouse as having paid up €5m as a ‘corrective payment’ on money believed owed between the years of 2007 and 2009.
It was alleged earlier this summer that the 26-year-old also paid out €10m to tax authorities as a supplementary declaration on tax potentially owed for the years 2010 and 2011.
