Burkina Faso
Croatia
Czech Republic
Indonesia
International Tournaments
Nigeria
Republic OF Ireland
South Africa

Neymar set for return to Santos after their interest in Championship star

talksport.com, 27 January 2025, 18:49
Neymar is set to complete a winter return to boyhood club Santos, talkSPORT understands.

The Brazilian superstar will return to his homeland after agreeing personal terms over a move.

Neymar is out of contract at Al Hilal at the end of the season and due to leave after barely even playing over his lucrative two-year spell in the Middle East.

Santos made an approach to Neymar's current club to bring him back on loan.

However, it's now possible that the forward could terminate his deal in Saudi Arabia in order to sign a one-year deal with the Brazilian side.

That deal includes a one-year option and cost him around £52million [$65million] in the process.

READ MORE ON FOOTBALL

Saudi Pro League plot Vinicius Jr transfer bid that would shatter world record

'Ridiculous' - Troy Deeney stunned as Mohamed Salah stat read out live on air

Neymar's move comes after Santos were surprisingly revealed as a club interested in signing Josh Windass from Sheffield Wednesday.

The Championship star confirmed their bid when he spoke to talkSPORT, but a move no longer looks set to take place.

Neymar's time at Al Hilal hasn't gone to plan after he suffered a serious ACL injury which led him to miss more than a year out and forced him to consider retiring.

Neymar will meet with the club on Monday to discuss the finer details of an agreement and if all goes to plan, he could fly to Brazil this week.

Most read in Football

'Fuming' - Arsenal fan Laura Woods reacts as partner declares who newborn baby supports

Two Premier League clubs eye Axel Disasi but Chelsea need £30m to avoid loss

How the brand new Champions League knockout phase play-off draw works

West Ham advantage in Evan Ferguson transfer race with three other clubs including Arsenal

If Neymar does leave Saudi Arabia, he's expected to maintain a relationship with the nation and be named as a 2034 World Cup ambassador.

Neymar announced himself on the global stage with Santos where he made 200 goal contributions in 225 games as a teenager before completing a blockbuster move to Barcelona in 2013.

Should Neymar's move to Santos come to fruition, it could spell bad news for Liverpool.

That's because Al-Hilal keen to exploit a transfer loophole to bring in Mohamed Salah as his replacement.

Salah is out of contract at Liverpool at the end of the season and could be available on a free transfer in the summer.

Turki Alalshikh - 'the most connected person on all of Saudi sport' - recently hinted a deal was on the cards by posting a photoshopped image of Salah in a Al Hilal shirt on social media.

Liverpool remain confident of extending his deal at Anfield.

However, talkSPORT's transfer correspondent Ben Jacobs also revealed that the 'exceptional window' could throw up some surprises.

"Keep an eye on the exceptional window between the 1st and 10th of June, when any federation can take FIFA up on this window to sign players in the build up to the Club World Cup.

"The English FA haven't decided yet. It's all clubs, not just Club World Cup teams, so that's the debate here - do you do it to benefit Chelsea and Man City, or do the other 18 Premier League clubs say, 'We're not that interested'?

"The Saudi FA have already said, 'Yes', so Al Hilal have the opportunity to sign Salah on a free transfer, potentially in the build up to the Club World Cup and then use him at that tournament.

"That is a consideration, but at the moment Liverpool still feel he offer is there for Salah and remain optimistic he will extend.

"That's despite this little tease from Turki Alalshikh, and usually when he reveals something - he's the guy behind the boxing in Saudi Arabia for example - nine times out of ten when he posts something there's some substance to it.

"So Salah and Saudi, even though Liverpool are optimistic, remains one to watch."

Neymar performs dazzling nutmeg on his return from injury for Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal

Salah has enjoyed a wonderful season for Liverpool so far.

Read More on talkSPORT

Harry Kane and Eric Dier make Bundesliga history in Bayern Munich win

Hollywood star stuns NFL fans by announcing favorite team after 50 years of silence

As well as scoring 23 times in 32 games in all competitions, he has provided 17 assists along the way as well.

It means that the Egyptian star has now score 234 goals in total for the Reds since he joined in the summer of 2017.

Show more

Top News

2 February 2025 talksport.com Leyton Orient head coach Richie Wellens has admitted his regret following a comment about Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou. 2 February 2025 talksport.com Ruben Amorim has landed his first signing as Manchester United boss after Patrick Dorgu completed his £29million switch to Old Trafford. 2 February 2025 talksport.com Roy Keane knew Cristiano Ronaldo was destined for greatness the moment he arrived at Manchester United. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United have reportedly agreed a deal with Brighton & Hove Albion to loan Evan Ferguson. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have completed the signing of Lens defender Kevin Danso on loan with an obligation to buy at the end of the season. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Jim White and his yellow tie. Harry Redknapp leaning out of his car window to exchange pleasantries with reporters. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa will reportedly have the chance to sign Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford on a permanent basis during this summer's transfer window for £40m. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly considering making an attempt to sign Aston Villa attacker Leon Bailey on loan for the second half of the 2024-25 campaign, as the Red Devils looks to bring in a replacement for Marcus Rashford. 2 February 2025 talksport.com Marcus Rashford was told Ruben Amorim would not play him at Manchester United if he stayed at the club, talkSPORT understands. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid suffered a major blow during Saturday's shock 1-0 defeat to Espanyol, with Antonio Rudiger being forced off in the first half of the La Liga contest with a suspected muscular problem. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk All transfer business is done and dusted for this season, but that doesn't stop clubs from preparing ahead for next season. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Adana Demirspor vs. Kasimpasa (Sunday, 10.30am) With each passing gameweek in the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig, Adana Demirspor's hopes of avoiding relegation continue to fade, and the league's bottom side will look to keep their survival dreams alive when they host Kasimpasa at the New Adana Stadium on Sunday. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Sporting Lisbon vs. Farense (Sunday, 6.00pm) Fresh off the back of reaching the Champions League knockout phase, Sporting Lisbon welcome SC Farense to the Estadio Jose Alvalade in round 20 of the Primeira Liga on Sunday. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Almere City vs. RKC Waalwijk (Sunday, 11.15am) With both teams running out of time to preserve their Eredivisie status, Almere City and RKC Waalwijk will do battle at the Yanmar Stadion on Sunday afternoon. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona vs. Alaves (Sunday, 1.00pm) Barcelona's pursuit of La Liga leaders Real Madrid will continue on Sunday afternoon, when they welcome struggling Alaves to Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys for a must-win contest. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Juventus vs. Empoli (Sunday, 11.30am) After back-to-back defeats, Juventus will seek an end to their three-game winless streak on Sunday, when they welcome Serie A strugglers Empoli to Turin. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Frankfurt vs. Wolfsburg (Sunday, 2.30pm) Eintracht Frankfurt's home clash against Wolfsburg at Deutsche Bank Park on Sunday in the Bundesliga could be hugely significant in the race for Champions League football. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Toulouse vs. Nice (Sunday, 2.00pm) Europe hopefuls Toulouse welcome Champions League-chasing Nice in Sunday's gameweek 20 Ligue 1 action at Stadium de Toulouse. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Motherwell vs. Celtic (Sunday, 3.00pm) Motherwell, looking to rebound from three consecutive defeats, will host Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic at Fir Park on Sunday afternoon. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk The opening match in the Coupe de France round of 16 will see Dunkerque seeking an upset victory over Lille on Tuesday at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Troyes will seek a place in the Coupe de France quarter-finals for the first time in a dozen years when they host Brest on Tuesday at Stade de l'Aube. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea are in negotiations with Borussia Dortmund over a deal to send midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka on loan to the Signal Iduna Park, according to a report. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Tyrell Malacia's proposed loan move from Manchester United to Benfica has reportedly collapsed due to the Portuguese side failing to meet the Red Devils' demands. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Wolverhampton Wanderers have confirmed that influential attacker Matheus Cunha has signed a new contract at the club until the summer of 2029. 1 February 2025 talksport.com Jude Bellingham was every football fan as the Real Madrid star reacted in awe to Chris Wood's hat-trick. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Carlos Romero scored the only goal of the match as Espanyol recorded a shock 1-0 victory over Real Madrid in Saturday night's La Liga contest in Catalonia. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly set to hijack Wolverhampton Wanderers' proposed move for Lens defender Kevin Danso, who is now on his way to North London. 1 February 2025 talksport.com Tottenham have hijacked Wolves' deal to sign Kevin Danso on a permanent basis, talkSPORT understands. 1 February 2025 talksport.com Arsenal must take full advantage of Manchester City's makeshift defence to keep their faint Premier League title hopes alive. 1 February 2025 talksport.com Fabian Hurzeler has been branded as a 'disgrace' for seemingly failing to acknowledge Brighton's travelling fans following their record defeat.