Marlon Freitas eyes São Paulo move, still talking to Botafogo | OneFootball

The negotiation saga between São Paulo and Botafogo at the end of this year seems far from over. While the Cariocas want Ferraresi and Pablo Maia, the Tricolor struggles to find two names willing to switch clubs.

Who seemed to be involved in the transaction is the midfielder Marlon Freitas. In recent days, talks between São Paulo and the player have heated up, and he saw the possibility of a transfer more favorably.

According to journalist Jorge Nicola, Marlon liked the Tricolor's offer. From 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 situation, however, will be difficult. AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR had already reported that Botafogo's initial response for Marlon Freitas was a refusal. The team intends to renew with its captain. However, the difficulty in negotiating with São Paulo changed the course, allowing at least initial talks between the parties.

But Botafogo maintains its position and, according to the Carioca press reported this Tuesday (23), is in negotiations with its athlete for renewal, but is not in a hurry for a decision.

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

The 'swap' with Botafogo

As we have already mentioned, Ferraresi is indeed on his way to General Severiano. São Paulo had already accepted Botafogo's offer and the player is on his way. This, however, is the only decision so far.

Initially, Botafogo inquired about a third name from São Paulo. After hearing a no for Ferreirinha, they speculated on midfielder Rodriguinho. For São Paulo, that's fine. But the staff of the young talent from Cotia didn't like it. They prefer to keep him at Morumbi. At least until a European offer arrives (and there are inquiries).

Now, the Cariocas are already certain of exchanging only two players with the Tricolor. And they are trying to please Pablo Maia's agents. But now they face strong competition from Cruzeiro, which might intervene in the deal for the Made in Cotia player.

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 Paulistas, two, winger Savarino and midfielder Marlon Freitas, were initially rejected. The situation of the latter, however, has changed in recent days and he might be a name to strengthen the Tricolor.

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

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

To complicate matters further, a name suggested by the Botafogo team, striker Joaquín Correa, sparked interest and Costa opened talks with the staff. But he heard that, at the moment, the Argentine is not interested in playing in the São Paulo capital. A new meeting was scheduled for next week with the player's agents to try to advance the deal and finally unlock the exchange.

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