Neymar set for Santos after Al-Hilal deal terminated

After Neymar’s contract with Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal was terminated by mutual consent, Brazilian club Santos is in talks to resign.

The 32-year-old Brazilian record-scorer is expected to agree to a short-term deal with the organization where he began his career.

According to sources close to Neymar, the termination of his employment at Al-Hilal was regarded as the biggest step.

He only played for the Saudi Arabian club he joined in a £77.6 million deal in August of that year, which came to an end to his injury-heavy playing days.

This season, the attacker made two appearances, most recently as a substitute in November.

The club expresses gratitude and gratitude to Neymar for his contributions to Al-Hilal, according to Al Hilal, and wishes the player success in his career.

Neymar’s return to Santos was also rejected by Major League Soccer (MLS) team Chicago Fire, who also attempted to land him in the United States.

Neymar was included on Fire’s “discovery list,” which meant they were the only MLS team in the US to negotiate with him.

Neymar’s reunion with his former Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez had also been in the minds of Inter Miami.

Neymar signed for Al-Hilal on a two-year deal with a reported annual salary of £129 million, and had only about seven more months left on his contract.

He signed up, claiming to “write new sporting history,” but he spent a lot of time watching as his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) broke during Brazil’s World Cup qualifying match against Uruguay in October 2023.

He played down an apparent hamstring issue in his second match back in October of last year, but he hasn’t featured since.

Neymar came through the famed youth system at Santos, where he scored 136 goals in 225 games, before a high-profile move to Barcelona in 2013.

He made 186 appearances across four seasons in Spain, winning two La Liga titles, the Champions League and the Club World Cup before his world-record move to PSG as a 25-year-old.

Prior to his move to Saudi Arabia, he won five league titles in Paris.