Flamengo ‘tried to sign’ Arias, forward refused move | OneFootball

According to O Globo, Flamengo made a 22 million euros offer for Wolverhampton forward Jhon Arias during talks to sign Lucas Paquetá. The Colombian refused to join Fluminense’s rivals.

Arias spent five years at Fluminense and lifted the Libertadores in 2023. He joined Wolves in July for 17 million euros plus 5 million in bonuses. He has two goals and one assist in 26 games.

The approach preceded Palmeiras moving for the attacker at 25 million euros. Fluminense, who hold preference on a return and could match the bid, were assessing a move with a Wednesday deadline.

With Arias unwilling, Flamengo pushed on and saw the Paquetá deal progress, paying 42 million euros to West Ham. The club view him as a multifunction option across midfield and attack.

"We are attentive to the market. It is obvious our financial availability now is very small for this window, but do not expect us to spend high fees after a signing like this, and when I say high fees, it is 10, 12 million euros," he told ge last weekend.

Beyond Paquetá, Flamengo have added goalkeeper Andrew and centre-back Vitão, taking first-window spending past R$ 300 million.

Source: Globo.com