Al Hilal announced on Monday that they had reached an agreement with Neymar to terminate his contract and open the door for a return to Santos for the Brazil international.
The Saudi Pro League club said on social media that the two sides had agreed to mutually part ways and wished Neymar luck in his future.
That future increasingly looks like it will be in his native Brazil, with ESPN sources saying on Sunday that Neymar would sign a six-month contract with the option of an additional year at Santos, the team with which he came through the youth ranks.
Sources have told ESPN that Neymar could be in Brazil as soon as Wednesday to sign a deal with Santos. It is unclear what resolution the two sides reached on the reported $65 million Neymar had left on his contract with Al Hilal, which ran through the summer.
Neymar, 32, endured a difficult spell with Al Hilal after joining the Saudi Arabian club from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2023 for a fee of $97.6 million.
The former Barcelona star suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while on international duty shortly after signing for Al Hilal. He returned to the field last October, but a hamstring injury kept him from making more of a contribution and manager Jorge Jesus said earlier in January that Neymar was free to pursue other opportunities.
He made just seven league and cup appearances with just one goal scored in an AFC Champions League group stage match against Nassaji Mazandaran on Oct. 3, 2023.
Despite his struggles in Saudi Arabia, Neymar remains one of the biggest names in the sport thanks to his exploits alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez while with Barcelona from 2013 to 2017. In that time, he was part of sides that won a UEFA Champions League crown, two LaLiga titles, and three Copa del Reys.
He later moved to PSG in 2017 and won five Ligue 1 titles, three French Cups and two French League Cups.
Neymar began his professional career with Santos in 2009, leading them to a Copa Libertadores triumph in 2011, where he scored in the second leg of the final, a 2-1 win over Peñarol.
Santos won the Brazilian Serie B title in 2024 and were promoted to the country’s top flight for the upcoming season.
At the international level, Neymar has appeared 128 times for Brazil, scoring a Selecao record 79 goals. He was part of the Brazil side that won the gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, which Brazil hosted.
Information from Jeff Carlisle and Julien Laurens was used in this story.