Manchester United are currently keen to sign Santos forward Neymar following manager Carlo Ancelotti’s recent announcement as to whether the ‘legendary’ forward will represent Brazil at the 2026 World Cup.
The Brazilian has been playing outside Europe since leaving Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the 2022-23 season, spending an injury-plagued season with Al Hilal before returning to his homeland and signing for Santos.
As a result, the former Paris Saint-Germain player has not featured for his country since playing against Uruguay more than two years ago, with the likes of Vinicius Junior, Estebao and Rodrygo emerging as new stars.
However, Ancelotti recently revealed that Brazil’s record goalscorer’s international career may not be over yet, suggesting there is still a chance of taking the Santos star to the next World Cup if they can finish the season strongly.
Manchester United keen to sign Neymar
According to reports from Spain, Manchester United are currently keen to sign Neymar and the superstar’s chances of playing in the World Cup are in jeopardy unless he performs well for the 2026 World Cup, which begins on June 11.
Ruben Amorim’s side are looking for fresh inspiration in their attacking line and the 33-year-old is believed to fit the bill given his track record at the top level, and with United able to afford the former Barcelona player’s wages, a deal could be completed.
However, given his age, there are doubts about whether the Santos legend will be able to adapt to the Premier League, and he hasn’t exactly set the world on fire since returning to Brazil.
With 128 caps for Brazil, he is undoubtedly a modern-day icon and has been hailed as “legendary” by journalist Luiz Cristovao, but his best days are clearly behind him as he contributed just three goals in 16 appearances in Brazil’s Serie A in 2025.
In his prime, the Man United target was one of the best players in the world, having spent four brilliant seasons at Barcelona, racking up 43 goals in the Champions League in a hugely successful career, during which he was described as a “great player” by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Neymar’s offensive power by season | The league is related to | Contribution to goal |
2013-14 | 26 | 19 |
2014-15 | 33 | 31 |
2015-16 | 34 | 40 |
2016-17 | 30 | 27 |
Gone are the days when injury-plagued Neymar terrorized defenses alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, and it is debatable whether United need to sign a forward after signing Benjamin Sesco, Brian Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha in the summer.
20 greatest wingers in soccer history
The best winger in the history of this game.

