Santos seeking to keep Neymar until 2026 World Cup

RIO DE JANEIRO, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Santos president Marcelo Teixeira said Friday the club is working to extend Neymar's contract until next year's FIFA World Cup, despite the forward's ongoing injury concerns.

Neymar rejoined Santos - his boyhood club - on a six-month contract in January after more than a decade in Europe and a stint in Saudi Arabia.

"We have to explore a technical way so that we can transform the monitoring of Neymar's recovery and his presence on the field into a greater chance of him being able to renew his contract and stay until next year's World Cup," Teixeira said.

Neymar has struggled with a series of leg muscle problems since returning to action last October following a knee injury that sidelined him for more than a year.

The 33-year-old has played just nine games in his latest spell with Santos, scoring three goals and providing three assists.

"When we brought Neymar back, we knew that he had suffered a very serious injury," Teixeira said. "Knowing this, we made all of our staff available to Neymar and put a structure in place so that he could make a full recovery. He is happy here. This is his home."

Santos is currently 19th in the 20-team Brazilian Serie A standings with four points from six games.

The club this week appointed former Brazil assistant coach Cleber Xavier as its new manager following the departure of Pedro Caixinha. ■