Neymar has made a stunning request to Santos asking them to sign his former teammate and the player has already given his answer.
Neymar is set to re-join Santos, having had his Al Hilal contract terminated by mutual consent.
The Saudi Pro League side issued an incredibly short statement in the wake of the Brazilian's departure.
The star forward made his name at Santos, scoring an impressive 136 goals in 225 matches, which earned him his blockbuster transfer to Barcelona.
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Ahead of signing for Santos, Neymar has requested the club to sign his ex-Paris Saint-Germain colleague.
According to Argentine journalist Gaston Edul, Santos have made a formal proposal to sign Leandro Paredes following Neymar's request.
But Paredes, who played with Neymar at PSG, has declined the proposed switch to Santos, per Edul.
It's claimed he turned down the opportunity as he plans to stay at AS Roma at least until the end of the season.
The report also states that the 30-year-old midfielder tried everything to move to Boca Juniors, but the Argentine club failed to submit a convincing proposal for him.
Paredes moved to PSG from Zenit Saint Petersburg for £34 million during the winter transfer market in 2019.
He played 117 games for the French giants before signing for Juventus on loan, eventually securing a transfer to Roma in the summer of 2023.
Roma, however, are doing due diligence in the event that they need to find a replacement for Paredes should he leave this month.
Sky in Italy say the Serie A side have asked for information about Manchester United's Casemiro, who hasn't played for the club since the turn of the new year.
Casemiro, 32, would be happy to join Roma during the January transfer window if they offload Paredes before next Monday's transfer deadline.
Nasir Jabbar