São Paulo backtrack (again) and loan Paulinho to SP side (again) | OneFootball

São Paulo has reversed course and reformulated the terms of the deal involving 21-year-old forward Paulinho with Botafogo-SP.

After initially agreeing to release the player on a free transfer while retaining 40% of his economic rights, the club’s board backed down in the face of the fallout from the case and decided that the move will instead take place as a loan until the end of the season.

The two clubs are now working out the final bureaucratic details to formalize the temporary deal.

According to what AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR has learned, the negotiation includes São Paulo covering part of Paulinho’s wages.

It is important to note that the initial information was that Paulinho would be released on loan, but both sides corrected that information over the course of the morning, saying it would be a permanent transfer. The report found that the São Paulo board was bothered by the criticism it received throughout the day, which led to the abandonment of the deal under its original terms.

Standout in the youth ranks and injury history

Paulinho was one of the top standout players in São Paulo’s youth academy during recent Copa São Paulo de Juniores campaigns.

In the 2025 title-winning run, the player scored twice in the final against Corinthians after coming on for forward Ryan Francisco. In the 2026 edition, he finished the competition as top scorer with six goals, playing a key role in the runner-up campaign.

In this year’s tournament final, the player suffered a ligament strain in his left knee and spent a long period recovering in the medical department.

After returning, however, the forward did not receive any further opportunities with the first team, making only three professional appearances in 2025 and just one involvement with the senior squad during this season.

Squad restructuring

Having aged out of the under-20 category, Paulinho was not part of the coaching staff’s plans and had been training at alternate times since the mid-season break.

The forward’s transfer is part of a series of moves made by the club to give playing time to young players developed at the Cotia training center. Recently, right-back Moreira was loaned to Al-Nasr of the United Arab Emirates, while defensive midfielder Negrucci joined Athletic-MG on loan.

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