Neymar 'boost' for Man Utd?! Sensational January transfer talked up as Santos superstar nears free agency

Neymar, who is his country’s all-time leading goalscorer at international level, is currently playing through pain and ignoring the advice of doctors at Santos. He is doing his best to steer his boyhood club away from relegation danger.

He headed home in January after seeing his contract at Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal terminated - with a long road to recovery taken in on the back of knee ligament damage. Neymar has spent more time on the treatment table this term.

Another change of scenery may be sought early in 2026, as Neymar sees his contract run down towards free agency, and various landing spots are being speculated on - from England to MLS. United have been credited with interest in the not too distant past.

Quizzed on whether a deal would appeal at this stage, former Red Devils striker Louis Saha told Pundit Arena: “If you asked me six months ago, I’d have loved Neymar at Manchester United. But right now, he seems fragile, or injured. Maybe he’s lost his spark.

“It’s sad, because I love Neymar. I thought a couple of years ago it’d have been a perfect move because he can still be an amazing player. He could really boost United with his inventiveness and talent.

“I think perhaps the way he has had his career guided needed to be challenged in the past. I don’t know how he can set about putting things right and rebuilding anymore. United need players who will sacrifice themselves for the team, who are in love with the club. I’m not sure Neymar is the man to offer that to United at this point in his career.”

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It has been suggested that Neymar could reunite with former Barcelona team-mates Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez at Inter Miami, allowing the fabled ‘MSN’ attacking unit to be reformed.

Ex-USMNT and MLS star Brad Friedel has told GOAL of whether that switch makes sense: “If Neymar is fit, then I think it works, I really do because he’s still a huge name in certain parts of the US. The trouble is if he’s not fit and he’s injured a lot, then it becomes a negative media-driven reality. I can understand arguments on both sides for sure.

“I would assume, and these are smart guys, it would be a tiered contract based on performances and being fit. Having spent some time in Miami, before Messi came you wouldn’t have really known that Miami had a team. From the time that he came, there are pink and black shirts everywhere. If Neymar came, it would add to that.”

While Saha doubts that Neymar is the right option for United, he believes that the Red Devils completed one of the Premier League’s best deals during the summer of 2025 - with a proven performer being lured away from domestic rivals Brentford.

He added when picking out the shrewdest business done in the last window: “For me, the best signing is between Hugo Ekitike and Bryan Mbeumo. I think [Nick] Woltemade has been brilliant too, I love him.

“I think those three have been the standout players so far, but I think that Mbeumo has probably been the very best of the three. He’s playing for a side that is in transition. Ekitike is playing for the league champions, and Woltemade arrived at a team that is in the Champions League. They both have their problems, of course, but I think United were in the toughest place at the start of the season. I’ve seen United struggle, and how hard it was for Mbeumo, and he’s done brilliantly to raise standards at the club and keep his own standards up.”

United will be piecing together plans for January, with it possible that further reinforcements will be drafted in alongside Mbeumo. Ruben Amorim’s side, who are still scratching around for consistency in 2025-26, sit seventh in the Premier League table through 13 rounds of fixtures and will be back in action on Thursday at home to West Ham.