On Wednesday, Santos, Pele's former club, posted a cryptic video on social media showing an aerial view of their Vila Belmiro stadium with the date December 31, 2026, accompanied by the text: "The time is coming", without mentioning Neymar, whose initial contract expired at midnight on December 31.
Neymar's first season back at his first club was interrupted by injuries, but the 33-year-old scored four times as Santos won their last three games to move out of the relegation places on the final day of the season in December.
After the season, he underwent an operation to repair a damaged meniscus in his left knee. Santos said on December 22 that the operation was performed by Brazil's national team doctor and was successful.
Neymar, who played for Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, is the top scorer for Brazil with 79 goals, two more than Pele.
He has not played for the national team since October 2023, when he suffered a knee injury against Uruguay.