Santos clear some overdue image-rights payments before Sul-Americana bow | OneFootball

Santos settled part of the overdue amounts with the squad earlier this Wednesday. The club paid the CLT wages, which had been due last Tuesday, as well as at least one of the two overdue months of image rights payments.

The delay in paying those amounts had been a source of dissatisfaction among the players. So much so that, last Tuesday, squad leaders met with the board while already in camp for the match against Deportivo Cuenca this Wednesday in the Copa Sudamericana.

The information was first reported by ge and confirmed by Gazeta Esportiva.

With part of the debts settled, Santos takes the field later this Wednesday at 7 p.m. (Brasília time) against Deportivo Cuenca in Ecuador in its Copa Sudamericana opener.

Santos is facing financial difficulties at this point in the season. In January, Peixe sold left-back Souza to Tottenham of England for 15 million euros (R$ 89.7 million at the exchange rate at the time).

However, the amount was used in two ways: part went into cash flow, while the rest was used to pay off the debt owed to Arouca, of Portugal, related to the signing of center-back João Basso. Peixe had been hit with a FIFA transfer ban and rushed to make the payment to the Portuguese club.

Santos' accounts

The financial statement presented on the evening of last Monday revealed a sharp increase in Santos' total debt, which reached R$ 998.5 million. Of that amount, R$ 470 million corresponds to short-term liabilities due within 12 months, which raises a red flag over the club’s cash flow.

On the other hand, Santos posted growth in its revenues. In 2025, the club brought in R$ 678.5 million, a figure representing growth of nearly 70% compared with 2023, when total revenue was around R$ 407 million.

The performance exceeded the season’s projected budget by 60%, with the main sources being television rights, player transfers and the strong growth of the membership program, which brought in R$ 50 million — more than double the projected amount.

In addition to the increase in revenue, the club also showed operational improvement. The surplus before financial results rose from R$ 58.3 million in 2024 to R$ 104.8 million in 2025, indicating a greater ability to generate cash. Even so, the high level of debt remains the main challenge for Santos’ management in the coming years.

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