After weeks of speculation, the uncertainty surrounding Neymar’s future has finally come to an end. On Wednesday, Brazilian club Santos officially completed a contract extension with the star forward. Under the new agreement, Neymar will remain with the club until December 31, 2026, according to confirmation from Brazilian media outlet Globo.

Negotiations between the two sides had been ongoing for several weeks. This marks Neymar’s third contract since returning to Santos. In 2025, the Vila Belmiro-based club signed him twice on short six-month deals. The newly signed contract, however, is valid for one full year.

Sources cited by Globo reported that Santos are expected to formally announce the extension within hours. With this deal in place, Neymar—who wears the club’s iconic number 10 shirt—is set to stay at Santos until the end of club president Marcelo Teixeira’s current term.

Santos had been confident about retaining Neymar since the conclusion of the Brazilian league season, although his previous contract was due to expire on December 31. Club officials anticipated that talks might go down to the wire, which is exactly what happened. Despite being a former Champions League winner with Barcelona, the 33-year-old forward earns a salary at Santos comparable to that of four or five average players combined.

Beyond his playing contract, Santos also hold a separate commercial agreement with NR Sports, the company owned by Neymar’s family, which manages his image rights. That deal is valued at 85 million Brazilian reais, to be paid by the club by the end of next year.

From the outset, Santos had planned their Neymar project to run through the middle of this year—coinciding with the World Cup period. While the club never considered parting ways with their iconic figure, Neymar and his representatives chose to proceed carefully to ensure a realistic and sustainable agreement. With the season now over, Neymar is focusing on rehabilitation following surgery on the meniscus in his left knee, making a return before mid-February unlikely.

Santos’ medical staff continue to oversee his recovery closely, while the club monitors his progress. Against this backdrop, news of the contract renewal has brought added joy to Santos supporters at the start of the new year. The timing is also significant, as 2026 is a World Cup year. Strong performances for Santos in the upcoming season will be crucial for Neymar as he aims to reclaim a place in Brazil’s national squad. His most recent international appearance came in October 2023.

In the recently concluded season, Neymar played a decisive role in helping Santos avoid relegation from Brazil’s top division. Determined to keep the club up, he even chose to play through injury in the final three matches. Santos won all three games by 3–0 margins. Neymar scored once and provided an assist in the first match, netted a hat-trick in the second, and although he did not score in the final game, he delivered a standout performance across the full 90 minutes.