Flamengo in the market: 5 full-backs nearing end of contract | OneFootball

Ayrton Lucas is under fire, and Alex Sandro will renew for only one more year

One of the positions Flamengo intends to strengthen is left back. That is because Ayrton Lucas has fallen out of favor with Rubro-Negro fans, while Alex Sandro intends to renew with Mengo for only one more year. So, Coluna do Fla put together a list of five defenders nearing the end of their contracts around the world.

One of the best-known is Ukrainian Oleksandr Zinchenko. The attack-minded fullback has a contract with Ajax (NED) until the 30th of this month. So, if he does not renew, the 29-year-old can sign for another team on a free transfer, with that club only having to cover a signing bonus.

Are there any Brazilians available?

In that sense, Zinchenko is in a similar situation to Paulo Otávio. That is because the 31-year-old Brazilian's deal with Al-Sadd (QAT) expires at the end of this month. The left back has been outside Brazil since 2016, when he played in Austria and then in Germany before moving to Arabia.

Who else is available out there?

Like the previous names, Raphaël Guerreiro was also on track to be without a club. After all, the Portuguese player has still not renewed his contract with Bayern Munich (GER). In this case, however, Flamengo would be competing with Juventus (ITA) and Benfica (POR), European clubs that are interested in the wing-back.

Can they poach a fullback from a rival?

Unlike the three above, Alex Telles is under contract with Botafogo until the end of December this year. Mengo's rival is going through a financial crisis and hopes to profit in the transfer window. However, the player is 33 years old, close to the age of Alex Sandro.

Are there any promising youngsters on the list?

Among the young players who could become available on the market is Belgian-Brazilian Thiago Paulo Silva. The 21-year-old is under contract with Seraing (BEL) until June 30. The defender is already part of the Belgian national team's youth setup and is sponsored by Nike.

Are any of them on Flamengo's radar?

Despite the options on the market, rumors indicate that Flamengo are interested in Abner, from Lyon (FRA), and Kaiki, from Cruzeiro. The fullback from the French team, however, is three years older and about R$ 23 million cheaper than the Cruzeiro wing-back, who is 23 years old and valued at 14 million euros (R$ 83 million).

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