Bap explains rejecting Aston Villa bid for Emerson Royal

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Coluna do Fla

·14 Juli 2026

Bap explains rejecting Aston Villa bid for Emerson Royal

What did Flamengo president Bap say about the offer for Emerson Royal?

Flamengo received an offer from Aston Villa (ENG) to negotiate Emerson Royal. However, the Rubro-Negro turned down the bid and decided to keep the full-back in the squad. As a result, president Luiz Eduardo Baptista, known as Bap, said he would only sell the player for 15 million euros (around R$ 87 million).

I decided not to sell Royal. For several reasons. The first is this: Flamengo is not in a weak economic or financial situation where it needs to desperately sell a player. Is it appropriate and sometimes necessary to sell players? Yes, it is. I’m not going to lie to the fans. But if I sell Royal, who do I bring in to replace him? Varela is a great player, but he is 32 years old. For every position in the starting team, we have to think like this: each player has to play 7,500 minutes, Varela will play 4,000, if he doesn’t get injured. Who is going to play the other 3,500? Do we have a player at the same level? Because it’s not just any right-back, it’s a right-back who can play those 3,500, 4,000 minutes at a very high level. Are there right-backs available in the world? How many great full-backs did we see at the World Cup? Few. Nuno, who is a left-back for Portugal, who is a top full-back, a Hakimi. How much does a guy like that cost? 70, 80 million? So, would I sell Royal to sign who? Now, is what they’re offering for Royal an amount that can’t be refused? No. No. No. So, for anything less than 15 million euros, it makes no sense at all for Flamengo to sell Royal. Why? Because I know I can’t replace him. And then I’ll have another problem: “Flamengo doesn’t have a full-back up to the standard.” So, when we think about building a squad, for a team that wants to win the whole f***ing lot, I need players who can perform at a high level all year long,” said Bap in an interview with ‘BarbaCast’.

What was Aston Villa’s offer?

Aston Villa offered 9 million euros (R$ 53 million at the current exchange rate) to sign Emerson Royal. Even so, the Rubro-Negro decided to reject the offer, as the full-back is seen as one of the key players in Leonardo Jardim’s tactical setup.

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In addition, Flamengo also surveyed the market and concluded that it is not easy to find a right-back to reinforce the Rubro-Negro squad at this time. Therefore, the club’s board kept Emerson Royal.

What did José Boto say about the offer to sell Emerson Royal?

In an exclusive interview with Coluna do Fla, directly from Portugal, Flamengo football director José Boto spoke about the matter. In the conversation with reporter Rock Hudson, the executive explained the conditions related to Emerson Royal.

— These are positions where there is a huge shortage: the full-back spots. You Brazilians saw that now at the World Cup, right? It’s a position, especially right-back, that is difficult. There are no full-backs for Aston Villa, just as there are none for Flamengo -, he said, before adding:

— In other words, if we lose our right-backs, we will have no replacement. And one of the things that is also part of the director’s role is not acting on the emotion of what the fans or journalists, influencers think. It is thinking: yes, we’re going to sell the right-back we have, but then who are we going to go after? -, Boto asked.

What is Flamengo’s next match?

With Emerson Royal available, Flamengo will play one more friendly before the Brazilian calendar resumes. On Friday (17), Leonardo Jardim’s team will face Olimpia (PAR) at 8:00 p.m. (Brasília time) at Mané Garrincha Stadium in Brasília.

As usual, Coluna do Fla brings you all the details of Flamengo’s 2026 season. So stay tuned to the website, social media, and YouTube. However, Flamengo TV (YouTube) will broadcast the friendly between Rubro-Negro and Olimpia.

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