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According to reports, Brazilian star Neymar is set to bid adieu to Al-Hilal with a massive pay cut and join his childhood club, Santos. Al-Hilal, who signed Neymar for $97.6 million from Paris Saint- Germain in 2023, saw the player facing challenges with the club. The verbal agreement is made but still certain things are going to work on, and the final news will be out in the coming days.
Neymar is set to travel to Brazil and meet management of Santos for further steps and get things finalised. If all goes fine, he will play his first game for Santos on February 5, which is also his birthday. He will sign a six-month agreement, which could be extended to one year. In the summer of 2023, Neymar become the most expensive football player by joining Al Hilal. However, he only made seven appearances in all competitions, scoring just one goal in an AFC Champions League group stage match against Nassaji Mazandaran.
As per Italian sports journalist Fabrizio Romano, “Formal steps to follow next week for the final formula of the deal from Al Hilal and contracts to be checked. Neymar has already agreed to the move.”
Neymar was part of Santos before joining Barcelona in 2013
Neymar hasn't had a fair share of games lately, and with that, going back to Santos, he will have to regain his form for the national squad ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the USA. As a teenager, he joined Santos' senior team in 2009 and helped them win the Copa Libertadores title in 2011. He was successful in scoring in the second leg of the final, helping the team to gain a 2-1 triumph over Penarol before playing for Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Al-Hilal.
Moreover, Neymar has appeared in 128 international games for Brazil, scoring a Selecao record 79 goals, while being a part of the Brazil team that won gold at the 2016 Summer Olympics as hosts.