Neymar’s contract renewal with Santos

The long speculation has finally come to an end. On Wednesday, Brazilian club Santos officially finalized the contract renewal with Neymar. According to the new contract, the Brazilian star will remain at Santos until December 31, 2026. The news of Neymar’s new contract was confirmed by Brazilian media outlet ‘Globo’.

Neymar’s contract renewal with Santos

The two parties have been negotiating for several weeks to reach this agreement. This is the third contract signed with Neymar after returning to Santos. Previously, the Villa Belmiro club signed two six-month contracts with him in 2025. This time the contract is for one year.

Citing sources at Santos, ‘Globo’ reported that a new contract for Santos’ number 10 jersey holder (Neymar) will be announced in the next few hours. With this agreement, Neymar will remain at Santos until the end of the term of club president Marcelo Teixeira.

Santos had been hopeful of keeping Neymar since the end of the Brazilian league. His previous contract was until December 31. The club’s board of directors thought that the two sides could negotiate until the last minute. In the end, that is what happened. Santos pays the 33-year-old Neymar, who won the Champions League with Barcelona in Europe, the same salary as four or five ordinary players every month.

In addition to the player’s contract, Santos also has a separate contract with NR Sports, the company owned by his family, for Neymar’s image rights. This contract is worth 85 million Brazilian reals, which Santos is supposed to pay by the end of next year.

From the beginning, Santos’ project with Neymar was set to last until the middle of this year. That is, until the World Cup. Santos, however, never thought of letting go of this iconic player. However, Neymar and his representatives have focused on making the new contract realistic without rushing. With the season over, Neymar is now focusing on his rehabilitation after surgery on his left knee meniscus. It is difficult for him to return to the field before mid-February.

Santos’ medical team is taking care of Neymar’s treatment and the club is also closely monitoring his activities. Of course, the news of Neymar’s contract renewal at the beginning of the new year has been added as an additional joy for Santos fans. Neymar’s contract is also quite important considering the World Cup year. Neymar will have to make a strong claim to get a place in the 2026 World Cup Brazil team with Santos’ matches in the new season. He last played for the Brazil national team in October 2023.

In the just-ended season, Santos avoided relegation from the Brazilian top league thanks to Neymar. Neymar even decided to play the last three matches with an injury to ensure the team’s relegation.