Santos in talks to swap Adonis Frías for Martirena, rush to lift transfer ban | OneFootball

Santos intend to settle their FIFA transfer ban next week, opening the door for reinforcements. They are in advanced talks to swap centre-back Adonis Frías for Racing of Argentina right-back Gastón Martirena on a season-long loan with mutual purchase preference.

Per Globo.com, Santos must pay just over R$ 12 million to settle a Monaco debt from the Jean Lucas deal, the midfielder now at Bahia. Clearing it would lift the registration ban.

Aged 26, Martirena would address a shortage on the right. Gabriel Menino, redeployed from midfield, has a left knee injury and no return date. Igor Vinicius is almost Cuca’s only option but will not face Vasco while completing his transition back to full training.

So Davizinho, a natural right winger, is expected to fill in again. Until last week the plan was only to stabilise, but hopes of a Copa Sudamericana quarter-final, an open Copa do Brasil tie for the semi-finals and a relegation fight have forced a rethink.

Raised at Liverpool Montevideo, Martirena joined Racing in 2023. This season he has played 14 matches, starting 12.

Monaco went to FIFA after Santos paid the first two instalments of six million euros, on 31 August 2023 and 30 June 2024, then missed the final two million due on 31 January 2025. The board later proposed splitting that sum, half on 30 August 2025 and half on 31 January 2026, but Monaco refused. FIFA ruled against Santos on 20 May 2025 and the club appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Source: Globo.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”