Grêmio won't wait for Gabriel Mec to leave before chasing midfielder; why | OneFootball

Grêmio remains active in the transfer market with a clear objective: to find a playmaking midfielder.

In addition to looking for a right-back and a left-footed center-back, the board sees the arrival of a genuine "number 10" as the top priority, even knowing it is the most competitive and expensive position in today’s market.

According to ge, this search is happening alongside the imminent departure of young Gabriel Mec.

The Tricolor gem has been drawing frequent interest from European clubs (such as Shakhtar Donetsk and Villarreal in the first half of the year), and negotiations are expected to heat up from July 20, with the official opening of the international transfer window.

However, the coaching staff stresses that signing a new midfielder has long been a priority, regardless of whether the youngster is sold or not.

Luís Castro’s midfield situation

During the first half of the year, coach Luís Castro carried out several tests in the creative sector, rotating names such as Gabriel Mec, Willian, Monsalve, and even Edenilson (who has already left the club for Botafogo). In the staff’s assessment, Mec was the one who provided the best response on the pitch and gave the team more attacking consistency.

With the real possibility of losing the young talent, the outlook for the rest of the unit is one of reshaping:

Willian: With a contract only until December, the tendency is that the experienced midfielder will not have his deal renewed. The board’s contract extension priority is focused on players such as Carlos Vinicius, Amuzu, and Pavon.

Monsalve: The Colombian has lost space, was approached by Estudiantes (Argentina), and could be transferred in the coming weeks.

Mandaca: The board says it already has a pre-contract signed with the Juventude defensive midfielder for 2027, but is working behind the scenes to try to bring him in immediately.

Finances and transfer market moves

The push for reinforcements is being hampered by the club’s financial strain. Grêmio’s management is dealing with cash flow difficulties and is about a month behind on players’ salaries and image rights payments. The board’s internal promise is to settle all these pending payments by next week.

With a tighter budget compared to the start of the year, signings for the second half of the season are taking on a more modest financial profile. So far, the club has already unveiled center-back Wallace (formerly of CRB) and striker Matheus Nascimento (formerly of Botafogo and LA Galaxy).

The club’s next specific goals are:

Finalize the signing of right-back Diego Caito (Goiás).

Find a left-sided center-back to make up for Viery’s departure and guard against a possible transfer of Wagner Leonardo (who remains in talks with Vitória).

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

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