Abel on Torres exit: "I'm not in charge at Palmeiras" | OneFootball

Palmeiras is close to negotiating another player from the squad. After a season with performance below expectations, Verdão believes that the departure of forward Facundo Torres could be positive for both parties. The club is in talks with Austin FC, from the United States, to sell the Uruguayan.

Faced with the possibility of another athlete leaving, Abel Ferreira commented on the situation and again mentioned using the youth academy as a possible solution. The coach, however, avoided discussing the potential signing of a replacement, should the forward indeed be negotiated — which is currently the trend.

“Look, he [Facundo] hasn't left yet, but the pressure is very high. They ask me to fight for titles, to bet on the academy, 35% of the players are from the academy. You don't see any team fighting for titles doing what Palmeiras does. Last year, those who fought for the titles were Palmeiras, Flamengo, and Cruzeiro. Did you see any of them doing this? Giving opportunities to young academy players? No, you didn't. Therefore, I don't know if he will leave or not, I'm not the one in charge of the club,” declared the coach.

(Photo: Cesar Greco/Palmeiras/by Canon)

So far, Palmeiras has already lost three athletes. Aníbal Moreno was sold to River Plate, while Weverton was released to reinforce Grêmio and Micael was loaned to Inter Miami. Verdão is negotiating the arrival of other names but has announced only one signing: midfielder Marlon Freitas, formerly of Botafogo.

“This would be the fourth [to leave]. Marlon arrived. I like challenges, but everyone in their role. I am the coach, demand results from me. We compete against very well-organized teams with super experienced players and titles under their belts. We lost against Flamengo, a team that invests more than Palmeiras, and no one was happy. We have to keep working to stay competitive. That's what we're going to do,” added Abel.

The expectation is that Facundo Torres' transfer will be definitive. Palmeiras, which paid around R$ 72 million to Orlando City at the end of 2024 to have the player, seeks to recover part of the investment to release the Uruguayan to Austin FC.

Last season, Facundo Torres played 61 times, scored ten goals, and provided four assists wearing the Palmeiras jersey.

Palmeiras' Negotiations in the Market

Despite the departures, Palmeiras is also targeting new players to strengthen the squad. The club already has an agreement with defender Nino's staff and needs to negotiate his release with Zenit, from Russia. The defender has been a long-standing dream of the Palmeiras board, and the transfer of Jhon Jhon, an academy product, to the Russian team could boost the negotiations.

Palmeiras also has two other targets in the market: Thiago Almada, from Atlético de Madrid, and Jhon Arias, from Wolverhampton. Although both are well-regarded by the club's top management, the current scenario indicates that only one of them might join the club in this transfer window.

Verdão also does not rule out further departures. Forward Luighi, for example, is attracting interest from clubs in Brazil and abroad. Atlético-MG views the young athlete favorably.

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