Bombshell: São Paulo opens talks to sign Botafogo defender pre-deal | OneFootball

São Paulo’s board began making contacts this week to assess the costs of signing a pre-contract with Botafogo center-back Alexander Barboza in July. Internally, the 31-year-old Argentine is seen as the ideal replacement for Arboleda, who will no longer play in the tricolor shirt after abandoning the club earlier this month.

According to what AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR has learned, the Morumbi club’s initial contact was with Botafogo, with whom it maintains a good relationship after the negotiations that took Ferraresi to Rio de Janeiro (RJ) and brought in Artur. That is because the plan was to have Barboza as a reinforcement already in this mid-year transfer window.

However, the São Paulo executives were told that Botafogo do not intend to let their main center-back leave easily and demanded major financial compensation for his release.

Furthermore, Barboza is expected to exceed the Brazilian Championship match limit required to be allowed to play for another club. He has already played eight times for the Rio side in the country’s main competition.

Given this scenario, the option will be to negotiate the signing of a pre-contract so that he can arrive at Morumbi in January.

Barboza’s contract with Botafogo only runs until the end of the year, and there are clear signs that he does not want to stay. According to reporters who cover the Rio club, at least three renewal offers were rejected by the player and his staff.

Left-footed, with good ball distribution and leadership qualities, the defender has been regarded as one of the best in his position in Brazilian football. That is why São Paulo understands that it will be difficult to complete the signing. The competition is strong. Vasco, Cruzeiro, and Atlético-MG have also recently been reported as interested in the player.

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