Alfredo Morelos could be handed an incredible £2.3 million pay-off by Santos to rip up his own contract.
The former Rangers striker endured a disastrous return to football when he moved to the Brazilian giants after leaving Ibrox in the summer.
He managed just 76 minutes, was booked twice and failed to score a goal as Pele's old club suffered relegation from the top flight for the first time in their 111-year history.
Morelos had a relegation release clause in his contract if Santos went down, but it could only be activated if the club agreed to it.
They appointed a new president last week and Marcelo Teixeira - who is now in his third spell at the club - immediately acted by activating the release clause, leaving Morelos free to leave on January 1, when his contract expires.
However, he is still under contract until August 2025 and he is the club's top earner by far on a reported salary of £40,000-a-week.
And that's proved to be a problem for interested clubs in his homeland of Colombia and Mexico who have expressed interest in the 27-year-old.
Morelos is in no rush to leave until a club matches his huge wages.
And reports in Brazil have stated Santos would have to pay around £2.3 million for him to terminate his contract and get him off the wage bill when they play in Serie B next season.
Morelos made 178 league appearances in total at Rangers, scoring 78 league goals and 124 in all competitions during his six-year spell in Glasgow.
