Financial woes hit São Paulo: sixth academy talent heads abroad | OneFootball

São Paulo continues to offload youth players to alleviate its financial crisis and finalized last Monday the sale of forward Henrique Carmo to CSKA Moscow, Russia. The athlete is the sixth player from Cotia negotiated by the club for overseas in 2025.

The Tricolor has been forced to negotiate promising athletes for values below their potential due to the need to generate cash and comply with the financial demands imposed by the club's investment fund, FIDC.

Gazeta Esportiva recalled the young players from São Paulo's youth academy who were negotiated by Julio Casares' management this year.

William Gomes

The first sale among the young squad was William Gomes to Porto on January 31. The 19-year-old forward had 80% of his rights acquired by the Dragons for 9 million euros (R$ 55 million at the time). For São Paulo, the young player totaled 20 games, three goals, and one assist.

(Photo: Rubens Chiri/saopaulofc.net)

João Moreira

On the same day, the Tricolor negotiated the loan of the full-back João Moreira, also to Porto, in an exchange with left-back Wendell. The Portuguese club received the player on a free loan, with an option to purchase 50% of the player's rights. In total, the 21-year-old defender played 26 games, with one goal and three assists.

(Photo: Rubens Chiri/saopaulofc.net)

Luiz Henrique

Another player negotiated in the first transfer window was the attacking midfielder Luiz Henrique, 21 years old. The player transferred to Real Murcia, which plays in the Third Division of Spain. The player did not even have chances in São Paulo's professional team.

(Photo: Guilherme Veiga / São Paulo FC)

Matheus Alves

In July, it was Matheus Alves's turn to leave the Tricolor. One of the highlights of the Copinha champion team, the 20-year-old midfielder signed permanently with CSKA Moscow for about 6 million euros (approximately R$ 37.9 million at the time). São Paulo, holding 85% of the economic rights, received 5.1 million euros (R$ 33 million). The player played 15 games in the club's professional team, with two assists.

(Photo: Rubens Chiri and Paulo Pinto / Saopaulofc.net)

Lucas Ferreira

Before Henrique Carmo, the last sale was forward Lucas Ferreira, another Copinha standout. The Tricolor received 8 million euros from Shakhtar Donetsk, Ukraine, for the player. Wearing São Paulo's jersey, the 19-year-old scored one goal and provided one assist in 23 games.

(Photo: Rubens Chiri and Paulo Pinto / São Paulo FC)

Henrique Carmo

Finally, São Paulo arranged for Henrique Carmo to move to CSKA. The São Paulo team will receive about R$ 38.2 million in the deal and is expected to retain 25% of the athlete's rights. The 18-year-old player bids farewell with only seven games and one assist for the main team.

(Photo: Rubens Chiri / São Paulo FC)

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