Santos Will Return Neymar, Al Hilal Eyes Rodrygo From Real Madrid

Neymar will most likely return to Santos after being dumped by Al Hilal (Instagram/@neymarjr).

JAKARTA - Bintang Al Hilal, Neymar, has given the green light to return to his childhood club, Santos, on loan.

Negotiations are now reportedly underway between the two clubs although no agreement has yet been reached.

As is known, Neymar started his professional career with Brazilian club Santos. There, he has scored 107 goals in 177 league appearances between 2009 and 2013.

His slick work at Santos made Barcelona interested in proposing to him in 2013, before Paris Saint-Germain made a fantastic transfer for Neymar in 2017.

However, the 32-year-old's career has slumped at Al Hilal since coming in 2023. He has even only packed seven games since arriving in Saudi Arabia until the end of 2024 before being kicked out of the squad list for the second round of the season.

Entering the turn of the year, Neymar was kicked out by Al Hilal. He is also reportedly talking to several clubs, including three Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs.

However, he said that a move to the United States would happen if it could reunite with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez at Inter Miami.

The problem is, Inter Miami has rejected Neymar's wish. Javier Mascherano, Inter Miami Manager, said his club could not recruit the Brazilian player because of the player's salary limit regulations.

After seeing Neymar's future unclear, Santos - the club that raised the 32-year-old striker - was then interested in repatriating him.

Neymar could be borrowed first for six months before his contract at Al Hilal expires at the end of this season which makes him a free agent. That is, he can return to Santos for free.

Meanwhile, Al Hilal has put up a plan to find a replacement for Neymar. A number of names are on the list.

The first name is Mohamed Salah whose contract with Liverpool is also not yet clear. The Egyptian will end his tenure at Anfield at the end of this season, but the contract extension agreement has not been reached until now.

While monitoring the development of Mo Salah's contract, Al Hilal turned the hunt to Real Madrid striker Rodrygo recently.

Al Hilal's head coach, Jorge Jesus, saw Rodrygo's uncomfortable position at Los Blancos as he struggled to get playing time in the first team since Kylian Mbappe arrived last summer.

Carlo Ancelotti has four attackers, namely Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, and Rodrygo.

However, the Italian coach prefers to play Mbappe, Vinicius, and Bellingham at the same time.

That is, if one of the four players leaves, it must be Rodrygo. You see, the problem with the Brazilian is not only to enter the first team, but also to play in a position that makes him the most effective.

He felt comfortable playing on the left wing, but Vinicius and Mbappe were able to overcome it. In the middle, both are also prioritized.

As a result, Rodrygo is often placed on the right wing, which limits his effectiveness.

Rodrygo is only 24 years old. He still wants to be given more responsibility and become a central figure in the team's attack than a supporter.

However, there are many natural talents at Real Madrid who are ready to become superstars. Many elite competitions did not allow Rodrygo to fulfill his dream at Bernabeu.

Even so, Rodrygo has played 1,051 minutes in 12 times as a starter and four times as a substitute in La Liga this season, with five goals contributed.