Flamengo only talking to Thiago Almada? José Boto opens up

In partnership with

Coluna do Fla

·4. August 2026

Flamengo only talking to Thiago Almada? José Boto opens up

José Boto stated that Flamengo is not ‘fixated’ solely on signing Thiago Almada

At the moment, the transfer window is open until September 11. However, with a view to strengthening the squad for the Copa Libertadores round of 16, Flamengo is racing against time to reach an outcome in the negotiations currently underway.

In the meantime, on his return from Argentina, Flamengo football director José Boto spoke openly about the idea that the club is negotiating only for Thiago Almada. Asked about Luiz Henrique, for example, the executive was direct in saying: “Flamengo is not focused on just one player. Sometimes, Flamengo plays on several boards.”

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What is Flamengo’s ‘Plan B’?

That said, according to reporting by Coluna do Fla, Flamengo considers Luiz Henrique a ‘Plan B’ in case the deal for Almada does not go through. In short, the club’s objective is to sign at least one of the two players in this transfer window, since both would represent a high cost for the red-and-black club’s coffers.

What other points did José Boto address?

Still speaking to the journalists at the airport in the early hours of Tuesday (04), José Boto made it clear that he did not go to Argentina to try to convince Almada of Flamengo’s stature. In this way, the football director reiterated that Fla will not enter into bidding wars with any club. The reason for my trip to Argentina was not to convince Almada. It would be stupid if I had to go there to convince him of Flamengo’s greatness. There were several matters I had to deal with there, in Flamengo’s interest. One of them, of course, was Almada. I went there to make it very clear to them that we would not enter bidding wars, meaning that what we had already agreed is what it will be if he wants to come to Flamengo. People talk a lot of nonsense, they say a lot of things they know nothing about. Do you know, do you have any idea, how many deals worth 20 million euros or more have been made in the history of Brazilian football? Abroad, seven! Two by Flamengo, two by Palmeiras, two by Botafogo and one by Cruzeiro, all of them in the last two years. Including Almada, who was one of them in the year Botafogo became champions. There are seven transfers, made by four clubs. There were four presidents and four football directors who have ever been involved in transfers above twenty million. We have to stick together, because it won’t be easy until the end of the year, and we cannot listen to people who talk about what they do not know. Almada may come, someone else may come, or no one may come, but if someone does come, be sure that Flamengo’s president (Bap) is as much of a fan as all of you, or even more. He will not let the club go broke. And many times, in the eagerness to get a name, a player of this level, the club gets broken. Therefore, I want to tell people to stay calm, because if a player has to come, he will come on Flamengo’s terms, and not through bidding wars. Almada has never told us he did not want to join Flamengo. Now, we told Almada and his staff that we do not enter bidding wars.

What is the author’s opinion on the matter?

“Despite Flamengo fans’ anxiety for the negotiations to reach an outcome, it is important to highlight the complexity involved with this type of player. Both Thiago Almada and Luiz Henrique are players capable of raising the level of Flamengo’s squad.

Therefore, it is absolutely normal for negotiations to be more drawn-out and complex. In addition, although Almada is an attacking midfielder while Luiz Henrique is a winger, both play in the attacking sector and have high market value. So, if Flamengo signs one of the two in this window, I will consider the talks to have had a positive outcome,” said journalist Nathalia Coelho.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.