Carlos, who left Corinthians for a lucrative move to Anzhi Makhachkala in the winter, confirmed his club had made a bid for Santos wonderkid.
Head boy: Brazil international Neymar is wanted by a host of big clubs
And the 38-year-old revealed he was in daily contact with Neymar in an effort to pull off an almighty transfer coup.
Sportsmail understands Real Madrid have agreed to trigger the 19-year-old Brazil forward's ?40million release clause and are confident of concluding a deal after the Copa America ends later this month.
From Russia with love: Carlos has urged Neymar to join him
Chelsea, who had a ?25m bid rejected last August, also remain interested but are also looking at other targets following Andre Villas-Boas's appointment as the club's new boss.
However, Carlos believes his club could yet see off some of the biggest names in world football and land Neymar thanks to the spending power of Anzhi's billionaire owner Suleyman Kerimov.
The Dagestan club refused to confirm their bid when it first appeared in the Brazilian press, but Carlos told Russian newspaper Sport-Express: 'I really have talked to Neymar about this.
'I told him about Anzhi's project and about the terms Suleyman Kerimov is ready to offer.
'We now have to wait for the end of the Copa America, when Neymar must decide his future.
'In any case, he asked me to thank the club's owner for the interest. 'In addition, we have already been in touch with the president of Santos to make an offer to the club.
'And now I am constantly in touch with Neymar, we call each other every day.
'He really could sign for us, because no other club has an effect on Neymar like Anzhi! Now everthing is up to him.'
Santos intend to fight for Neymar by offering him new sponsorship deals that would up his pay to ?90,000 a week.
The South American champions desperately want him to stay at least another year as 2012 will mark their centenary.
Neymar has also indicated he would like to stay for the Club World Cup in Japan this December, but has not ruled out a January move.
One to watch: Real Madrid remain the favourites to land the Santos star
Nevertheless, Carlos, who made his name during an 11-year stint at Real Madrid, believes his compatriot has outgrown Brazil and should now leave.
'He is a footballer of the highest quality, very technical, and Neymar continues to grow professionally,' said the left back.
'Needless to say, he is a great player. I think he needs to leave Brazil right now and I personally have no doubt that he could play in any team - in Russia, Spain or Italy. In any country!'
As well as Neymar, Carlos highlighted other young Brazilian talents, such as Santos playmaker Paulo Henrique Ganso, 21, Sao Paulo's attacking midfielder Lucas Moura, 18, and Flamengo striker Diego Mauricio, 20.
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Source: Daily Mail
Source: Daily Mail