Neymar has reportedly been released from his Al-Hilal contract for the rest of the season

This frees up space in Al-Hilal’s squad to register another overseas player – Renan Lodi (above)

Neymar is expected to miss the rest of the season anyway after suffering a serious knee injury

The club will be able to re-register Neymar at the end of the season when he is likely to return from injury, but his future in Saudi Arabia could now be in doubt.

Al-Hilal already have a number of high-profile overseas players including Ruben Neves and Aleksandar Mitrovic, and must make the call over whether Neymar warrants a place in their squad ahead of the 2024-25 season.

The 31-year-old has struggled with fitness issues in recent seasons, and missed the final three-and-a-half months of last term after undergoing ankle surgery.

Neymar’s Al-Hilal deal is due to run until June 2025, and there is an option to extend his contract by a further year, but the two parties could go their separate ways after a disastrous first season for the forward in the Middle East.