Operation Stay, Rayan! Vasco’s bold plan to keep star until 2026 | OneFootball

The management of Vasco da Gama has an ambitious plan and is working on multiple fronts to try to keep forward Rayan at the club until at least mid-2026. The “Stay, Rayan Operation,” detailed by the portal Trivela, involves a complex renewal negotiation, a bet on sports goals, and financial engineering to withstand the growing interest from European football.

+ Vasco says “no” to a fortune and bets on an even bigger sale in the future

Vasco and staff face a stalemate in the renewal

The main challenge at the moment is the contract renewal. Vasco and Rayan's staff have been in talks since July for a new agreement, which includes a salary increase and a rise in the release clause to 40 million euros. However, the parties still disagree on the details of the new deal. To entice the athlete, the club is considering increasing the percentage the player would receive in a future sale, creating a performance bonus.

While the renewal is pending, interest is growing. Trivela has learned that Chelsea, from England, is another giant putting Rayan on their radar, joining other clubs that have been monitoring him since his youth. The player himself has clear goals: he dismisses alternative markets and prioritizes the major European leagues (England, Spain, and Italy), a requirement he wants to include in the new contract.

Rayan has been crucial in Fernando Diniz's scheme – Photo: Marcos Ribolli/ge

Financial engineering to avoid selling

To keep the player and avoid being forced to accept the first offer, Vasco performed a financial “juggling act.” The club used around R$ 70 million raised from the sales of João Victor and Luiz Gustavo and also took out an R$ 80 million loan to cover current expenses.

This maneuver postponed the need to sell Rayan, which was part of the original Judicial Recovery plan to balance the accounts. The management's final bet is on a spot in the Libertadores, which would be the definitive argument to convince the “homegrown” player to stay longer.

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