Disposal At Al Hilal, Neymar Can Return To Santos Next Week

Neymar was able to return to Santos from Al Hilal this week (Instagram/@neymarjr).

JAKARTA - Neymar is one step back to his childhood, Santos. The Brazilian striker still has a contract at Al Hilal until June 2025.

However, Al Hilal's manager, Jorge Jesus, was not included in the Saudi Arabia's second-half squad list.

Jorge Jesus said in early January 2025 that Neymar was no longer able to play at the same level as other Al Hilal players.

Therefore, the 32-year-old striker only met the requirements to be registered in the Asian Elite Champion League.

As a result, Neymar has been looking for the next chance to play. He seems to have found a new port, the club where he started his professional career.

Neymar's contract with Al Hilal is likely to end sooner, but the final details are still being negotiated.

The two sides are expected to meet earlier this week in hopes of reaching an agreement. If that happens, Neymar will sign a six-month contract, which will have the option to extend an additional year with Santos.

If the deal with Santos is complete, Neymar will leave for Brazil this week and be able to play for Santos no later than February 5, 2025.

By ending his contract with Al Hilal, which runs until this summer, Neymar will lose about $65 million.

He can cover at least part of the shortfall by making himself and his father, Neymar Santos Sr., part of an investment fund that includes shares in Santos.

However, Brazil's ESPN reports that Neymar is still determined to get back money from Al Hilal and that any deal involving shares in Santos will be very difficult to implement in the short term.

So, even though the framework for returning to Santos in principle already exists, there are still some things that are stuck.

If his return to Santos is complete, it will end the transfer story that includes the possibility of Neymar heading to Major League Soccer club, Chicago Fire FC.

Neymar's choice to return to Brazil is to regain his form and may regain his place in the Brazilian National Team.

Neymar went through a difficult time with Al Hilal after joining the Saudi Arabian Pro League club from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2023 for a transfer fee of 97.6 million US dollars.

The former Barcelona star suffered an anterior cruciatum ligament tear in his left knee while on international duty shortly after joining Al Hilal.

He returned to the pitch in October 2024, but a hamstring injury prevented him from making a greater contribution.

He has only appeared seven times in the league and trophies by scoring only one goal in the AFC Elite Champions League group stage match against Nassaji Mazadaran on October 3, 2023.

Despite experiencing difficulties in Saudi Arabia, Neymar remains one of the biggest names thanks to his performances with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez when he was at Barcelona from 2013 to 2017.

During that period, he became part of the team that won one UEFA Champions League crown, two La Liga titles, and three Copa del Rey.

He then moved to PSG in 2017 and won five Ligue 1 titles, three Coupe de Frances, and two Coupe de la Ligues.

Meanwhile, Neymar started his professional career with Santos in 2009, leading them to a Copa Libertadores victory in 2011, when he scored in the second leg of the final, a 2-1 win over Penarol.

At the international level, Neymar has made 128 appearances for Brazil, setting a record for Selecao of 79 goals. He is part of the Brazilian team that won the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics gold medal.