Boto details Almada deal, puts Evertton Araújo ‘for sale’ at Flamengo

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Coluna do Fla

·9 July 2026

Boto details Almada deal, puts Evertton Araújo ‘for sale’ at Flamengo

What did José Boto say in an exclusive interview with Coluna do Fla?

The mid-year transfer window is about to open and, with that, expectations are already building to find out Flamengo’s moves in the market. In an exclusive interview with Coluna do Fla, José Boto, the club’s executive director of football, revealed the Rubro-Negro’s plans for this period.

In recent weeks, Thiago Almada’s name has emerged as a possible signing for Flamengo. Faced with that situation, José Boto clarified what the club thinks about these expensive signings and also explained the financial health of Mengão.

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– They said River Plate (ARG) made an offer for him now. But is it really true that he’s going to River Plate? I’m not sure about that. Almada is one example, like several other players who would fit at Flamengo. Now, to come to Flamengo, the conditions have to be right for that. We can’t spend 40 million euros anymore, because that is not sustainable for the club -, he said, before concluding:

– We’re not going to sign players anymore just because someone wants us to sign a certain player. How are we going to sign a player if it isn’t the coach’s need? That doesn’t mean the player is bad; we are not disrespecting the player. I have to listen to the coach before anything else -, Boto concluded in an interview with Coluna do Fla.

WHAT IS THIAGO ALMADA’S SITUATION?

Flamengo was one of the teams monitoring Thiago Almada’s situation. However, from the beginning, Atlético de Madrid (ESP) made it clear that it would not make things easy for any club in a possible negotiation.

At the moment, Thiago Almada is with the Argentina national team squad at the World Cup, where they are in the quarterfinals to face Switzerland. Before the competition ends, however, some outlets report that the player has an agreement to play for River Plate. However, the midfielder will decide his future after the tournament ends.

IS EVERTTON ARAÚJO FOR SALE ON THE MARKET?

Still on the transfer market, Boto analyzed Flamengo’s own squad. In this way, the Portuguese executive believes that European football does not look favorably on signing players over the age of 25. As a result, in Mengão’s current squad, Evertton Araújo is the only Rubro-Negro player “for sale.”

– People talk, but they don’t have the slightest idea of what the European market is. Today, for a player over 25 to go to Europe is very difficult. The big transfers that happen nowadays involve players who are already in Europe or very young ones, 18 or 19 years old -, he said, before continuing: – Above 24 years old, very high fees are rarely paid. Given this situation, Evertton Araújo is one of the “sellable” players in Flamengo’s squad when we talk about those amounts -, Boto stressed.

WHAT IS EVERTTON ARAÚJO’S SITUATION AT FLAMENGO?

Evertton Araújo is a young player who has managed to establish himself in Flamengo’s first team. This season, the defensive midfielder took advantage of the gap left by Erick Pulgar and claimed a starting spot in Rubro-Negro’s midfield.

For the next transfer window, Evertton Araújo is already on the list of some European teams. Milan (ITA), for example, sent an official offer to Rubro-Negro for the midfielder. In addition, Napoli (ITA) and Chelsea (ENG) are monitoring the player’s situation.

*THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH JOSÉ BOTO FOR COLUNA DO FLA WILL BE RELEASED TOMORROW ON THE WEBSITE, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND YOUTUBE.

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