São Paulo keep hunting centre-back, eye target in Germany | OneFootball

With the signing of forward Victor Sá underway, São Paulo remain active in the transfer market with a clear objective: the arrival of a new center-back, treated as the top priority by head coach Dorival Júnior.

According to ge, Tricolor’s new target is 25-year-old Arthur Chaves.

The player belongs to Hoffenheim and is wrapping up his loan spell at Augsburg, both in Germany. The club’s board has started talks with the player’s representatives to assess the feasibility of a new loan deal, targeting the transfer window that opens on July 20.

During the break for the FIFA World Cup, the club’s board came very close to signing Portuguese defender Domingos Duarte, currently at Getafe (Spain). The parties had already agreed on the length of the contract, but the defender backed out at the last minute after demanding a bigger salary increase, which led São Paulo to end the negotiations.

The “Zero-Cost” Strategy

Under the leadership of football executive Rui Costa, the club maintains a strict stance on financial responsibility. The absolute focus is on finding players who are nearing the end of their contracts or who can arrive on loan, avoiding spending on the purchase of economic rights.

This strategy has worked in the club’s six signings of the season: goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, center-back Dória, right-back Lucas Ramon, defensive midfielder Danielzinho, attacking midfielder Cauly, and forward Artur all arrived with no transfer fee. Forward Victor Sá himself fits the model as well, since his contract with Krasnodar (Russia) is coming to an end.

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

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