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Neymar is set to sign a contract extension with Santos through to December 2026.

Neymar returned to Santos, where he began his career, in January 2025 and scored 11 goals and provided four assists in 28 appearances to help maintain the club’s top-flight status.

Santos confirmed that Neymar underwent arthroscopy surgery on his knee on Monday December 22, which they described as “successful”. Santos President Marcelo Teixeira led the negotiations for the forward’s renewal.

In September, Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti said he would have “no problems” selecting Neymar for his World Cup squad, should the former Barcelona forward be fit for the tournament.

Neymar, 33, is Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer but has not appeared for his national team since October 2023, when he was substituted against Uruguay after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in his left knee.

Since making his international debut in 2010, Neymar has scored 79 goals in 128 appearances for Brazil. His €222 million (£192m) move to Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona in 2017 set a world-record transfer fee.

Brazil are in Group C of the 2026 World Cup, alongside Morocco, Haiti and Scotland.

Brazil’s Serie A season starts at the end of January.

Mario Cortegana Santos is a Football Writer for The Athletic covering Real Madrid. He has followed Los Blancos since 2019 at Diario AS, Goal.com and MARCA. He usually appears on Gol TV and is a main collaborator in the YouTube show The Four Amigos Podcast. He has covered the EURO 2020 and Qatar 2022. Follow Mario on Twitter @MarioCortegana