Neymar says he’ll make a final call on his future at Santos after June 12.
The Brazil star rejoined his boyhood club in January on a short-term deal, but that contract runs out at the end of June. Now a free agent after that, he’s still undecided about what comes next.
Speaking after Santos lost 3-1 to RB Leipzig in a friendly on May 28, Neymar kept things vague when asked about his plans.
“I still don’t know,” he said. “I’m not going to answer any more questions about it. I’ve already said that I don’t know, so that’s because I’m still thinking about it. There’s no point in asking me again in three days’ time, because the answer will be the same. I’ll only decide after the 12th [June].”
That date is key because Brazil’s domestic league pauses from June 12 for the Club World Cup. The break gives Neymar and his team some breathing room to consider options. His father and agent, Neymar da Silva Santos, confirmed the family is using the pause to figure things out.
“On June 30 everyone will know if we are going to continue,” his father told Globoesporte. “We haven’t decided anything, because Neymar’s contract expires and renewal has not yet been discussed.
“The renewal depends on several factors. Santos has complete freedom to accept Neymar or not. To say whether it wants to renew his contract or not. Now we need to know if Santos has the structure to keep Neymar. It’s not up to us… Now, does Neymar have a market? He does.”
Neymar’s return to Santos has been limited by injury. He’s been dealing with muscular issues since recovering from a serious knee injury suffered while playing for Brazil in 2023. His father says these setbacks were expected.
“It was bound to happen. These injuries were expected,” he explained. “We knew that the inactivity we had experienced for a while meant that we needed to build up our minutes, get on the field, and push ourselves a little to see how our bodies would react after such a long layoff.
“We are very happy with how he is doing, with his recovery. Today he managed to play 45 minutes. Neymar is strong, we are happy with how things are going.”
For now, Neymar remains undecided. Whether he stays at Santos or moves on, we’ll know more by the end of June. Until then, fans will have to wait.
