Porto want big fee, defender no longer in São Paulo plans | OneFootball

São Paulo has hit a financial obstacle in its attempt to sign 24-year-old Brazilian center-back Felipe Silva. Porto has set a fee of 3 million euros (approximately R$18 million at the current exchange rate) to release the defender on a permanent deal.

The European club’s demand goes against São Paulo’s board’s strategy for the current transfer window. Amid a scenario of budget restrictions and strained cash flow — evidenced by the recent delay in image rights payments to the squad — São Paulo is prioritizing the signing of free agents or loan deals with no operating costs.

Porto’s uncompromising stance, having already rejected the possibility of letting the player leave on loan, has temporarily pushed the defender out of Tricolor’s plans, as the club continues to monitor the market in search of viable options to strengthen its defense.

Player background and difficulties in the center-back market

A product of Avaí’s youth academy, Felipe Silva was promoted to the senior team in 2022 and transferred to Gil Vicente the following year.

After making nine appearances for the team, he was loaned to Porto B in 2024. At the end of the season, the Portuguese club exercised its option to sign him permanently for around 500,000 euros (R$2.9 million at the exchange rate at the time). For Porto’s B team, the center-back has made 63 official appearances and scored four goals.

The pursuit of Felipe Silva comes amid the difficulties faced by the Tricolor hierarchy in strengthening the defensive sector. The club remains in talks with center-backs Domingos Duarte and Arthur Chaves, but internal optimism has waned.

The signing of Arthur Chaves is considered virtually off the table: Hoffenheim of Germany, which holds the player’s economic rights, rejected three loan offers sent by São Paulo and is demanding immediate financial compensation to release the defender.

As for Duarte, Tricolor has made a final push and accepted the financial demands made by the player, and is now awaiting a response.

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