São Paulo went back for an old centre-back target, and got another no | OneFootball

São Paulo made an inquiry to check the terms of a possible deal involving 26-year-old center-back João Marcelo, who belongs to Cruzeiro.

The response from the Minas Gerais club’s board, however, prevented the initial talks from moving forward: the club promptly ruled out the possibility of sending the defender out on loan.

Cruzeiro’s top brass informed São Paulo that they are counting on the player for the rest of the season. The internal assessment in Belo Horizonte is that he will be a key piece in the squad rotation, especially because of the packed schedule and the buildup of simultaneous competitions in the second half of the year.

With that, a temporary transfer is not part of Cruzeiro’s plans.

São Paulo’s interest in João Marcelo. The Morumbi club even made an official offer for the player back when he was at Porto, in Portugal, in 2023, at the recommendation of then-head coach Rogério Ceni. But the deal did not progress at the time because the figures were considered too high.

After a loan spell, Cruzeiro signed João Marcelo on a permanent deal in 2024 for 2.5 million euros. In the view of the Minas Gerais club, his time at Cruzeiro has increased the player’s value. And with his contract running until December 2028, the idea is to let him go only if a similar fee is paid.

Search profile maintained at Morumbi

The move for João Marcelo reinforces São Paulo’s transfer-market strategy to address the lack of depth in central defense.

Under a policy of financial austerity and facing cash-flow difficulties — such as the recent one-month delay in image-rights payments to the squad — the club’s board is focusing primarily on players available on free loans or nearing the end of their contracts.

After backing away from talks for Domingos Duarte and running into the high fees demanded by Porto and Hoffenheim for Felipe Silva and Arthur Chaves, respectively, São Paulo continues to scout the market in search of viable alternatives that fit within the budget ceiling set for the current transfer window.

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