Marlon Freitas eyes São Paulo move, but still talks with Botafogo | OneFootball

The negotiation saga between São Paulo and Botafogo at the end of this year seems far from over. While the team from Rio wants Ferraresi and Pablo Maia, Tricolor is struggling to find two players willing to switch clubs.

One player who seemed like he could be involved in the deal is midfielder Marlon Freitas. In recent days, talks between São Paulo and the player have heated up, and he has started to look more favorably at the possibility of a transfer.

According to journalist Jorge Nicola, Marlon liked Tricolor’s offer. On São Paulo’s side, even at 30 years old, he is seen as a consistently performing player, the so-called ‘healthy athlete’ requested by Hernán Crespo. Since 2022, he has been playing without injuries.

The deal, however, will not be easy. AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR had already reported that Botafogo’s initial response regarding Marlon Freitas was a refusal. The team intends to renew with its captain. However, the difficulty in negotiating with São Paulo has changed the course, allowing at least for initial talks between the parties.

But Botafogo maintains its position and, according to the Rio press reported this Tuesday (23), is in negotiations with their player for a renewal, but is in no rush to reach a decision.

Botafogo’s transactions had been on hold since the change of their coach. Davide Ancelotti left and Martín Anselmi arrived. With this decision made, the club will resume its negotiations, with Marlon Freitas being one of the priorities to stay.

The ‘player swap’ with Botafogo

As we’ve already mentioned, Ferraresi is indeed on his way to General Severiano. São Paulo had already accepted Botafogo’s offer and the player is set to make the move. However, this is the only deal finalized so far.

Initially, Botafogo inquired about a third São Paulo player. After being turned down for Ferreirinha, they speculated about midfielder Rodriguinho. São Paulo was fine with it. But the staff of the young player, who came up through Cotia, did not like the idea. They prefer to keep him at Morumbi, at least until a European offer comes in (and there have been inquiries).

Now, the team from Rio is already set on swapping only two players with Tricolor. And they are trying to please Pablo Maia’s agents. But now they face strong competition from Cruzeiro, which could hijack the deal for the Made in Cotia talent.

The difficulty lies on São Paulo’s side in attracting players from the black-and-white team. AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR has already revealed that of the three names initially speculated by the São Paulo club, two—winger Savarino and midfielder Marlon Freitas—were initially rejected. The situation with the latter, however, seems to have changed in recent days and he could become a reinforcement for Tricolor.

The obstacle is that Marlon Freitas is still negotiating with Botafogo, which continues to plan to renew the contract with its captain. As for Savarino, if he has to leave the Rio team, he wants to go to Atlético-MG, a club he has played for before and where Jorge Sampaoli, whom he considers a friend, currently works.

The most desired name by Tricolor, however, is right-back Vitinho. Executive Rui Costa, however, heard from his agents that he wants to wait until the end of his vacation to decide his future. In other words, he wants to wait until January. They believe this is a strategy, as his staff may be waiting for inquiries from Europe.

To make things even more complicated, a name suggested by Botafogo, forward Joaquín Correa, caught Costa’s interest and he opened talks with the player’s staff. But he was told that, at this moment, the Argentine is not interested in playing in the São Paulo capital. A new meeting has been scheduled for next week with the player’s representatives to try to move the deal forward. And finally unlock the swap.

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