José Boto reveals Flamengo never wanted Luiz Henrique amid Zenit financial terms | OneFootball

Flamengo were linked with Luiz Henrique in this window, but José Boto says the club never sought to sign the Zenit forward and withdrew once talks revealed unaffordable terms.

"I said this window would be different, because we felt it was the right time to prepare Flamengo for the next years," Boto said. "To bring in players a bit less known and cheaper. What happened was the possibility of Almada, a deal that would have been in good shape for us, between us and Atlético de Madrid," he told ESPN.

"Luiz Henrique we never wanted. A possibility was put to us by people close to him, who wanted him to come to Flamengo, on very good conditions, not only the fee but the payment schedule. Then, when we spoke to Zenit, none of that was true, and we withdrew immediately, because at those values and terms it is impossible for reasons of financial responsibility."

After failing to land Thiago Almada, Flamengo identified Luiz Henrique as a target and initially received the go-ahead from the player’s camp to contact Zenit. Before engaging the club, Flamengo met William Bento to assess the deal and, faced with the figures involved, made no official bid.

Flamengo had signalled an offer of 20 million euros, roughly R$116.9 million. Zenit were seeking 30 million euros fixed plus 5 million in bonuses, around R$175.4 million and R$29.2 million respectively. Club president Bap set a ceiling of 25 million euros, about R$146.2 million.

With those pursuits stalling, Flamengo signed Joaquín Freitas, 19, and Anthony Valencia, 23, during this window.

Source: Coluna Do Fla

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”