Neymar overturns Santos’ transfer ban and secures signings of two former Premier League stars

Neymar has been stuck on the sidelines since he suffered a thigh injury on September 2 in the second leg of Santos’ Brazilian Cup quarter-final against Palmeiras.

Yet, the Brazilian international has continued to play a key role for Santos off the pitch since suffering the injury, and now he has helped strengthen the club’s squad through signing two former Premier League stars.

Santos had been punished by FIFA with a transfer ban stemming from a legal dispute between Santos and AS Monaco over the transfer of Jean Lucas in July 2023, but now it is understood that Neymar's marketing company allegedly paid two million euros to lift the ban.

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Two former Liverpool stars joined Santos after being convinced by Neymar

Neymar’s apparent role in lifting the transfer ban was pivotal to the club strengthening its playing squad, as Santos aim to find success in their league campaign.

FIFA had imposed a ban for three transfer windows on 1 July 2025 after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected Santos' appeal, after AS Monaco demanded two million euros.

Now that Neymar has paid the two million euros, they can now sign players, and this is exactly what the club have done by going out and signing two former Barcelona stars.

According to reports in L’Equipe, NR Sports, the Neymar family's sports marketing company stepped in at that point.

Now, Santos have wasted no time in signing several fresh faces, including two players who played for Liverpool, Arthur and Philippe Coutinho.

Arthur has joined on a short-term deal until December 2026, while Coutinho has agreed to join Santos after his contract was terminated with Vasco da Gama in February, with the former Bayern Munich player believed to have been edging toward retirement.

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Arthur and Philippe Coutinho’s Premier League careers

Arthur joined Liverpool on September 1, 2022, on loan from Juventus, with the Reds paying €4.5 million in loan fees. The Brazilian’s late move to Anfield made him feel like a rotational option; however, there was an expectation he could become a future star at the club after showing in glimpses his talent at Barcelona and Juventus.

Yet, Liverpool would choose not to exercise their option to buy the midfielder after his loan spell, due to Arthur only playing one fixture during his entire spell at Anfield.

Arthur made his Liverpool debut in a 4–1 Champions League defeat to Napoli, coming off the bench for 13 minutes. This would be the only action he had for the club before returning to Italy, due to suffering from physical condition problems.

Meanwhile, Coutinho’s time in the Premier League while at Liverpool was far more impressive, as he spent five and a half seasons at Anfield.

Brendan Rodgers signed the attacker from Inter Milan for £8.5 million, and he would make a total of 201 appearances for the Reds, scoring on 54 occasions.

Coutinho would be pivotal to Liverpool in their challenge for the Premier League title in the 2013-14 season, as he, along with Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling, were electric in attack.

The 34-year-old would evolve into a key player in the early Jurgen Klopp period before he took the decision to leave Anfield in January 2018 for a fee of £142 million, which allowed the club to fund several high-profile transfers, including Virgil van Dijk and Allison.

This fee allowed Liverpool to build a squad that could compete for titles, proving important to their Premier League and Champions League success.