Santos president confirms Neymar transfer plans once he recovers from injury

Brazilian side Santos are plotting a move to bring Neymar Jr back to the club after he recovers from his knee injury and finishes his 'experience in Saudi Arabia'.

Neymar followed Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema to the Saudi Pro League last summer and became Al-Hilal's marquee signing when he joined for £78million.

However, he has made just five appearances for the club before suffering a serious knee injury while away on international duty with Brazil.

The 32-year-old forward will reportedly miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to fix the ligament in his knee.

Neymar's current deal at Al-Hilal runs until 2025, but Santos are already plotting a move for the former Paris Saint-Germain forward.

Club president Marcelo Teixeira has already started talks with the 32-year-old and things are said to be progressing nicely.

He said: 'The conversation [with Neymar] was very quick, but it's always quick conversations that have good effect.

'To come back and play here, he needs to recover well from injury. He will continue his experience in Saudi Arabia and then come back here.'

The departure of Neymar could be mutually beneficial for him and the club given Al-Hilal are struggling for space within the squad.

Al-Hilal completed the signing of Brazilian full back Renan Lodi in January but had to remove Neymar from the squad to register another overseas player.

The club will be able to re-register Neymar at the end of the season when he is likely to return from injury, but his future in Saudi Arabia could now be in doubt.

Al-Hilal already have a number of high-profile overseas players including Ruben Neves and Aleksandar Mitrovic, and must make the call over whether Neymar warrants a place in their squad ahead of the 2024-25