DR Congo captain offered to São Paulo, impresses, but ban hinders | OneFootball

Center-back Chancel Mbemba was offered to São Paulo in recent days. Captain of the Democratic Republic of the Congo national team and with World Cup 2026 experience, the 31-year-old defender appeals to the club’s leadership because of his leadership profile and international experience.

Despite the positive assessment of the player, São Paulo chose not to open negotiations at this time.

The board’s absolute priority is to resolve the transfer ban issue at FIFA before moving forward with talks for new signings on the market, especially foreign players.

Following São Paulo’s refusal, Botafogo also received the offer for the player and opened negotiations to complete the signing.

Mbemba has built up significant experience in European football, having played for clubs such as FC Porto, Newcastle United, and Olympique de Marseille, most recently featuring for France’s Lille.

He is the second African defender who played in the World Cup to be offered to the Morumbi side. Last week, information leaked that São Paulo ruled out the signing of center-back Roberto “Pico” Lopes, 34, who played in the World Cup for the Cape Verde national team.

The defender, currently under contract with Shamrock Rovers of Ireland, was offered to the São Paulo club’s board by his representatives. Although the player has a contractual clause that allows for his immediate release in the event of offers from abroad, Tricolor chose not to pursue the talks.

During the initial approach, São Paulo’s board did inquire about the financial terms of the deal. The initial plan was for a permanent one-year contract, with the possibility of an extension for one more season if performance targets were met.

The club presented a salary offer equivalent to the center-back’s current wages in Irish football, but the player’s camp submitted a counteroffer with higher figures, which stalled the progress of the agreement.

São Paulo cooled its search for a center-back somewhat after signing Portuguese defender Domingos Duarte, who agreed to a contract but has still not been officially announced by the board because of the transfer ban imposed by FIFA for non-payment involving Marcos Antonio.

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