Neymar has a contract with Al Hilal Saudi Club until next June.© Agence France-Presse
Brazilian star Neymar is in talks about leaving his Saudi club Al-Hilal, but his financial demands are hindering reaching an agreement, according to what a club source told AFP on Wednesday. The 32-year-old former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain striker has struggled with injury in Saudi Arabia, playing just seven times despite a reported salary of around $104 million per year. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “Neymar is discussing his departure with Al Hilal, but his high financial demands remain a major obstacle.”
Neymar has a contract with the Saudi League club until next June.
Reports in Brazil say that Santos, the club where Neymar made his name in his now fading career, are in talks for him to return to his home country but Al Hilal prefers a move while Neymar wants a loan deal.
Neymar, the subject of what remains the biggest transfer in football history when he joined Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona in 2017 for a fee of €220 million ($230 million), joined Al Hilal in August 2023.
He followed fellow stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema to the lucrative Saudi league.
But two months after arriving in Riyadh, he tore the cruciate ligament in his left knee while playing for Brazil in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, keeping him out of action for a year.
He then suffered a series of hamstring and knee injuries while trying to return to playing with Al Hilal.
Club coach Jorge Jesus said recently: “He is no longer able to play at the level we are accustomed to. Things have become difficult for him, unfortunately.”
It is likely that returning to Brazil will be the last chance for the player, who is the all-time top scorer for his country with 79 goals in 127 matches.
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