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 price of 3 million euros (approximately R$18 million at the current exchange rate) to permanently release the defender.

The European club’s demand goes against São Paulo’s board’s strategy for the current transfer window. Amid budget restrictions and strained cash flow — highlighted 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 firm stance, having already rejected the possibility of sending the player out 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.

The player’s background and difficulties in the center-back market

Developed in Avaí’s youth academy, Felipe Silva was promoted to the first 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 buy 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 São Paulo’s leadership in reinforcing 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 submitted 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.