Daily: Santos is confident Neymar will renew his contract despite his intention to leave for MLS

Recently, "Daily Sports" talked about Neymar's future in Santos. They said that although the player intends to join Inter Miami, the club is still confident to complete his contract extension.

Santos suffered an unexpected setback recently. They lost 0-1 at home to Vitoria, leaving them with a team that is currently on the edge of the relegation zone with 31 points. Santos face a tough away game on Sunday against defending champions Botafogo, who are vying for qualification for the 2026 Copa Libertadores. Neymar is still out due to injury and his return time has not yet been determined.

Club management is trying to inject optimism into disappointed fans, who are worried about possible relegation after the team's inconsistent performance, especially after returning to Brazil's top flight this year. Club president Marcelo Teixeira said: "Under the leadership of Juan Vojvoda, the team is improving. We are very focused on achieving our goals at the end of the season and will definitely recover from the recent defeat."

Teixeira only considers keeping Santos in the First Division and Hope Neymar can continue to stay in the team: "We have not discussed the contract extension, but this is everyone's priority, because his goal is to participate in the next World Cup."

When Neymar returned to Santos in early February this year, he signed a five-month contract until June 30. After failing to play frequently, he extended his contract until the end of the year. Therefore, discussions about his future are now in focus, with Teixeira saying: "Unless something unusual happens, the possibility of a contract extension is very high."

Neymar and his father have not publicly stated their plans for the start of the new South American season in January next year. Currently, the European market is closed to Neymar. He has been injured three times since March, missing a total of three months. For Neymar, joining MLS is a viable option, which has always attracted him.

Inter Miami has expressed interest in signing Neymar and hopes to restructure the strike combination he formed with Messi and Suarez at Barcelona. The possibility of signing Neymar is realistic as Inter Miami has two free designated player slots in 2026 and Busquets and Alba have already decided to retire.

Despite the option of Inter Miami, Santos firmly believes that Neymar will not change his mind in the short term and will continue rehabilitation training in order to compete in next summer's World Cup, which may be the last World Cup of his career. Ancelotti has made it clear that he needs his players to be at their best, but that has not happened since Neymar tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee two years ago and there seems to be no end to his woes.