Neymar, the Al Hilal footballer, is reportedly on the verge of terminating his contract with the club to make a return to Santos.

According to a source from ESPN, negotiations are currently underway regarding the termination of the Brazilian’s contract. Representatives from both Neymar and Al Hilal are scheduled to meet this week in hopes of finalizing an agreement.

Should an agreement be reached, Neymar is set to sign a six-month contract with Santos, which will include an option for a one-year extension.

At the beginning of the month, Al Hilal’s coach Jorge Jesus stated that Neymar was no longer performing at the expected level and noted that he had been registered solely for the Asian Champions League, rather than the referee league.

This has led Neymar to seek a departure from the Saudi club, with Santos being his likely destination, the club where he kicked off his professional career.

If a deal with Santos is finalized, Neymar may travel to Brazil this week and is potentially set to play for Santos on February 5th.

However, by ending his contract with Al Hilal, Neymar would incur a loss of approximately $65 million. An ESPN source indicated that Neymar and his father, Neymar Santos Sr., are looking to mitigate some of this loss by joining an investment fund that holds shares in Santos.

Despite this, ESPN Brazil reported that Neymar is still keen on recovering funds from Al Hilal, and executing any agreement involving Santos shares may prove challenging in the near term.

Neymar made the switch to Al Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain for $2023 million during the summer of 97.6. Shortly after his move, the 32-year-old forward sustained a knee ligament injury while representing the Brazilian national team, making his return to the pitch last October, only to face another tendon injury soon after.

So far, he has featured in just seven matches across the Saudi League and Cup, contributing one goal in the Asian Champions League on October 3, 2023.

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