Could São Paulo lose Marcos Antonio to Flamengo? Situation explained | OneFootball

Of all the speculations involving São Paulo players, the ones that worry the fans the most are those about midfielder Marcos Antonio, considered the team's standout player in this turbulent year of 2025.

And the information coming from Paparazzo Rubro-Negro, a channel specializing in the Rio club, is that Flamengo has the São Paulo midfielder on its radar for the upcoming 2026 season.

This is because the Spanish midfielder Saul may have to undergo surgery, and the Uruguayan Nicolas De La Cruz continues to struggle with chronic problems in both knees. As a result, the Rio board is starting to evaluate names in the market.

And Marcos Antonio, a player who was already contested by São Paulo when he came to Morumbi, is once again in the sights of the rubro-negros. But is it that easy to take him away from Tricolor?

The contract with São Paulo

Marcos is on loan, for the second time, from Lazio, now with an agreement until June 2026. The contract, however, includes a mandatory purchase clause for the midfielder by São Paulo, which will pay 4 million euros (R$ 26 million at the current exchange rate), divided over three years to the Italians. This was confirmed by football executive Rui Costa, in statements to journalist Jorge Nicola.

The purchase is considered mandatory by the club, since the stipulated targets for matches to be played are easy to achieve.

Therefore, if Flamengo wants to have the Tricolor’s number 20, they will have to shell out a significant amount to São Paulo, in addition to convincing the club to sell its big star of 2025.

However, Tricolor’s intention is not to part with one of the team’s pillars. Unless a huge and irresistible offer comes along—which is unlikely to be the case if Flamengo really does go after Marcos Antonio.

Moreover, the player has never hidden his love for his childhood club, which was one of the main reasons Marcos chose São Paulo, even though there was heavy competition from Flamengo for his signing at the time.

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