RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazilian Serie A giants Santos are set to rescind their contract with troubled forward Diogo Vitor, a club official said on Thursday.

Vitor returned from an 18-month ban for cocaine use last November but has been in contact with the club only three times since early February.

"The last time we saw him he asked for more time off to attend to a family problem but he never came back," Santos management committee member Matheus Rodrigues told Brazilian television channel TV Cultura Litoral.

"We've left it with our legal department. But it's very likely that it will end soon because we have no response. The club needs to make a decision and it will be taken this week. We've given him every chance."

Vitor, who is contracted with Santos until next February, has made just 32 appearances for Santos since making his first-team debut in 2016.

His ban for drug use followed a positive test in a match against Botafogo de Ribeirao Preto in April 2018.