Santos FC, currently facing the challenges of the Brazilian Second Division, holds hopes of persuading Neymar to return to the club in the future.
Neymar recently joined Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, committing to a lucrative contract until 2025, earning him around €200 million per season. According to Globoesporte, club president Marcelo Teixeira visited Neymar’s family last Friday, expressing the club’s desire for the player to return.
Having left Santos twelve years ago to join Barcelona, Neymar’s potential return is under discussion. Teixeira stated, « We are working on several fronts. I think it is important for us to have work and projects that are first professional and then successful. Among them, we have this relationship with Neymar, both father and son. Neymar, the father, decides his son’s career. He also decides the affairs of his own company. We have talked to him. He has taken steps to appreciate these projects, these works. We are developing some of them. »
Meanwhile, Neymar hopes to see his number 11 retired, similar to Pelé’s iconic number 10. The club might consider this gesture to attract him back. Additionally, Santos is actively seeking investors to finance Neymar’s potential return.
Teixeira expressed, « We want to appeal to many investors in the Arab market. We also want to establish and create a suitable policy for training. With investments in training and also in our assets, which are the pillars of our management. These discussions have been very positive, but they remain theoretical. The theory is that from this moment on, when we have control of management, we can intensify this work and ensure that companies like Neymar’s make these projects viable so that Santos can grow and be able to compete with the world’s great powers. »