Philippe Coutinho has moved closer to joining Santos FC and reuniting with his long-time friend Neymar after advanced negotiations between the midfielder and the Brazilian club’s hierarchy.
Both parties have reached a verbal agreement pending medical checks and an official announcement, keeping the transaction at the finalization stage rather than a completed deal.
Coutinho’s contract is expected to run through the end of December 2026—a short-term arrangement lasting around three months—providing Santos the opportunity to evaluate his physical fitness before considering a longer-term commitment.
Neymar played an active role in pushing negotiations forward, while his family company (NR Sports) assisted Santos in settling a 12 million Brazilian Real debt owed to AS Monaco to lift the FIFA transfer ban on registering new players.
Coutinho has not played a competitive match since departing Vasco da Gama in February 2026, when he requested to terminate his contract due to mental exhaustion and fan pressure. He subsequently stepped away for several months, sticking strictly to individual training sessions.
Despite the difficult exit, the former Barcelona and Liverpool playmaker had a solid 2025 campaign, recording 11 goals and 5 assists across 56 appearances for Vasco before seeing his playing time decline early the following year.
In recent years, Coutinho has journeyed across Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Aston Villa, Al-Duhail, and Vasco da Gama, gradually moving away from the peak form that made him one of Europe’s top playmakers during his time at Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Santos has experienced a mixed domestic season but boosted its continental hopes with a 2-0 win over Atlético Mineiro in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana quarter-finals. The club hopes the reunion of Neymar and Coutinho will provide the spark needed to relieve league pressure and contend for international silverware.
