Two more years! São Paulo confirm new deal for Argentine striker Calleri | OneFootball

As AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR had already reported in early August, Calleri has renewed with São Paulo. The club confirmed the new agreement with its Argentine top scorer on Friday afternoon (14).

“Like an owl that flew far in search of a home, I found a place for my heart to live.” And Tricolor is Calleri’s home, as he has renewed his contract with the club until December 31, 2028, with an option to extend it through the end of 2029 based on a performance target — his previous deal was valid until December 31, 2026.

Champion of the 2023 Copa do Brasil and the 2024 Supercopa do Brasil, Jonathan Calleri has built a career marked by goals and countless displays of love for São Paulo across his two spells at the club.

“I’m very happy and very grateful to the São Paulo fans. I’m very happy to stay with you for two more years. I hope to bring great joy to our supporters,” celebrated the 32-year-old Argentine striker.

Clauses and performance targets

The new contract between the parties also includes a clause for automatic renewal through the end of 2029, tied to the player’s performance. For the extension to take effect, Calleri will need to play at least 45 minutes in at least 60% of São Paulo’s matches during the 2028 season.

Behind the scenes: Calleri stood firm

As AMT had already reported, the positive outcome of the talks came after the striker himself lowered his salary demands. Previously, negotiations had stalled: the center forward turned down an initial offer made during Rui Costa’s tenure and considered the second proposal, later made by the interim board, insufficient.

Despite having two pre-contract offers from clubs abroad, Calleri prioritized staying with Tricolor and stood firm with his agents until reaching a consensus with the club’s top brass.

The team’s top scorer in 2026 with 12 goals, the Argentine had been under contract only until the end of this year, which left him free to sign a pre-contract with any foreign team. The renewal with Calleri is expected to be officially announced by São Paulo in the coming days.

Leadership and history with Tricolor

At 32, Calleri is internally regarded as one of the squad’s main leaders and has a strong connection with the fans. However, his age led the board to take a cautious budgetary approach in negotiations over a long-term deal.

In his second spell at Morumbi — the first was in 2016 — the striker is in his sixth consecutive season at the club, with the titles of the 2023 Copa do Brasil and the 2024 Supercopa Rei.

After a short spell in 2016, when he was a semifinalist and top scorer in the Copa Libertadores with nine goals, the center forward returned in August 2021 to reaffirm his connection with São Paulo’s fans.

Calleri has made 262 appearances for Tricolor, with 91 goals and 30 assists, and has racked up several scoring records: São Paulo’s top scorer this season (12 goals so far), São Paulo’s all-time top scorer in the Copa Libertadores (14 goals), Morumbi’s highest-scoring foreign player (54 goals), the top foreign scorer in the Brazilian Championship (47 goals), and the top foreign scorer in knockout matches (14 goals). He is also the club’s second-highest foreign scorer overall (91 goals), third-highest scorer for the club in international competitions (17 goals), and fourth-highest scorer for Tricolor in the 21st century (91 goals), according to figures provided by the club.

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