How Santos plan to lift transfer ban and pay overdue wages | OneFootball

FIFA’s recent imposition of a transfer ban has set off alarm bells at Vila Belmiro.

Santos’ board is now racing against time not only to get rid of the punishment that prevents new signings, but also to meet its internal obligations, such as paying overdue wages and image rights to the current squad.

The website ge then detailed Peixe’s strategy to settle its accounts. Check it out below.

A delicate moment

In the first quarter of 2026, the club’s total debt surpassed the R$ 1 billion mark. Now, president Marcelo Teixeira’s administration has just over two weeks before the transfer window opens to resolve the international deadlock.

The Origin of the Punishment: The club is banned from registering new players for three transfer windows due to a debt of 2.032 million euros (around R$ 12 million) owed to Monaco, related to the signing of defensive midfielder Jean Lucas.

The Fundraising Strategy: To generate immediate revenue and ease cash flow, the board is banking on player sales. The goal is to complete deals with figures similar to the recent sales of forward Luca Meirelles (Shakhtar Donetsk) and left-back Souza (Tottenham).

Impact on the Market and Cuca’s Frustration

The current restriction pours cold water on coach Cuca’s plans. After the win over Vitória in the Brasileirão, the manager had raised expectations of receiving reinforcements after the vacation break to strengthen the team for the rest of the season.

With the market closed to Santos for now, football executive Alexandre Mattos struck a realistic tone and lowered the fans’ expectations:

Hitting the Brakes: The executive stressed that the club will not make signings just for the sake of numbers. Any move will depend on financial balance.

In-House Solution: Santos’ absolute priority at the moment will be to find internal solutions, valuing the current squad and promoting youngsters from the youth academy.

Internal Competition: A practical example of the lack of reinforcements is at right-back. Without Mayke and any new signings, Cuca has already started testing improvised options, using defensive midfielders and youth players as backup for Igor Vinícius.

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

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