Boto breaks silence, reveals why Gerson left Flamengo | OneFootball

Gerson left Flamengo in July of this year after renewing until 2030

Flamengo sold Gerson in the last transfer window to Zenit (RUS) in a lump sum and for the termination fee. After a long period of silence, José Boto, Flamengo's football director, commented on the negotiation, explained why he had reduced the clause, and even poked the midfielder by mentioning that the player aspired to a higher salary.

— I always had the feeling that Gerson, despite having renewed, aspired to a higher salary. It's natural, this is not a criticism. We also perceived that Zenit could come back to charge. So, lowering the clause was to force us to receive the money upfront —, began José Boto, in an interview with 'UOL' this Monday (15).

— If he kept the values that were there, it would require another negotiation, with installment payments and wear and tear. What we thought was: we set a value that the club can pay upfront. This was agreed with Gerson's staff —, concluded the football director of Flamengo.

WHEN DID GERSON LEAVE FLAMENGO?

Flamengo renewed with Gerson in April of this year. The former red-black midfielder had a contract until December 2027, but with the extension of the contract, he became linked with the Most Beloved until 2030. However, it was at this moment that Mengão reduced the termination fee, but demanded payment upfront.

Three months later, in July, Flamengo completed the sale of Gerson to Zenit. The Russian club paid the termination fee of 25 million euros (R$ 160 million at the time) upfront. Thus, the negotiation became the third largest sale of Mengão in all history, behind only Vinicius Júnior and Reinier, both to Real Madrid (ESP).

AND FLAMENGO?

With the departure of Gerson, Flamengo hired Jorginho and Saúl Ñíguez, who became crucial pieces and fell into the Nation's favor. With the two available, Flamengo focuses on the next commitments of the season. Mengão faces Estudiantes (ARG) on Thursday (18), for the Copa Libertadores.

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