Another on the list: São Paulo check on Brazilian CB at Porto B | OneFootball

São Paulo made inquiries to Porto, of Portugal, to learn the terms of a deal involving 24-year-old Brazilian center-back Felipe Silva.

The defender plays for Porto B, a team competing in the second division of the Portuguese Championship, and has yet to make any appearances for the European club’s first team.

São Paulo’s board expressed interest in the player and opened channels of dialogue to discuss possible transfer models; however, it encountered an initial obstacle.

Porto ruled out the possibility of sending the player out on loan, signaling that it is only willing to negotiate a permanent transfer. Facing a budget-tightening scenario, São Paulo is prioritizing the arrival of players who are free agents or available on free loans, avoiding financial outlays in this transfer window.

The player’s background and difficulties in the center-back market

Developed in Avaí’s youth academy, Felipe Silva was promoted to the senior team in 2022 and was transferred to Gil Vicente the following year.

After playing nine matches for the team, he was loaned to Porto B in 2024. At the end of the season, the Portuguese club exercised its option to buy him permanently for around 500,000 euros (R$2.9 million at the exchange rate at the time). For Porto’s B team, the center-back has made 63 official appearances and scored four goals.

The pursuit of Felipe Silva comes amid the difficulties faced by the Tricolor leadership in strengthening the defensive sector. The club remains in talks with center-backs Domingos Duarte and Arthur Chaves, but internal optimism has waned.

The signing of Arthur Chaves is considered virtually off the table: Hoffenheim of Germany, which holds the player’s economic rights, rejected three loan offers submitted by São Paulo and is demanding immediate financial compensation to release the defender.

As for Duarte, Tricolor made its final move and accepted the financial demands made by the player, and is now awaiting his response.

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