Neymar agrees Santos return after terminating Saudi contract

Neymar has agreed to sign for his former side Santos in Brazil, saying “it feels like I’m going back in time”.

Brazil’s record goalscorer, 32, is expected to sign a short-term deal at the club where he began his career.

The forward has already cancelled his contract at Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal by mutual consent, ending an injury-hit spell with the club for who he played just seven times after joining in a £77.6m deal in August 2023.

In a social media video on Thursday he said: “I just can’t hold it in until tomorrow – I’ll sign the contract at Santos.

“I’ve been wishing for this moment to come true for a long time.

“It’s been more than 12 years since I left but it seems like it was yesterday.

“My feelings for the club and fans have never changed.”

Major League Soccer (MLS) club Chicago Fire attempted to bring Neymar to the United States but he turned them down in favour of returning to Santos.

Neymar remains the world’s most expensive footballer after his £200m move to Paris St-Germain in 2017.

He came through the famed youth system at Santos, where he scored 136 goals in 225 games, before a high-profile move to Barcelona in 2013.

He made 186 appearances across four seasons in Spain, winning two La Liga titles, the Champions League and the Club World Cup before his world record move to PSG as a 25-year-old.

In Paris he won five league titles prior to his move to Saudi Arabia.

Shortly after the move he overtook Pele to become Brazil’s all-time leading male goalscorer with 78 goals, but has not played for his country since his initial knee injury in 2023.