No reply frustrates São Paulo, talks off again for Portuguese stopper | OneFootball

São Paulo has once again ended negotiations to sign 31-year-old Portuguese center-back Domingos Duarte.

The player has been a free agent since June 30, after his contract with Spain’s Getafe expired. And the Tricolor board chose to withdraw its official offer due to the defender’s delay in giving a definitive answer.

Initially, as AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR learned, there was an expectation of waiting for a response from the Portuguese player until the weekend. However, the decision was made by football manager Rafinha himself, who was bothered by the lack of at least some kind of signal from the player.

The suspicion is that Duarte is waiting for an offer from Europe itself. According to his agents, Greece’s Olympiakos is one of the interested clubs.

Talks had been ongoing for weeks. After the player rejected an initial offer while seeking a salary increase, São Paulo’s hierarchy gave in to the demands and raised the figures in an attempt to seal the deal.

However, the lack of a swift response and the existence of inquiries from European clubs made São Paulo back away to avoid getting involved in a financial bidding war in the transfer market.

Austerity and focus on settling debts

The decision not to raise the financial terms is in line with the budget-containment policy adopted by the club’s presidency. The tight cash flow became evident this week, when the board met with the first-team squad to address a one-month delay in the payment of image rights, promising to focus efforts on settling the outstanding debts within 30 days.

With the transfer window set to open on July 20, the search for a center-back remains a technical priority for the second half of the season.

Under Rafinha’s leadership, the football department has reshaped its scouting path and is evaluating alternatives that do not require significant immediate investment, prioritizing players nearing the end of their contracts or available on free loan.

Defensive unit and current options

Among the new names being analyzed by the club is Brazilian defender Felipe Silva, 24, who belongs to Porto B and is under contract with the Portuguese side until 2029 — although the figures set by the Europeans for a permanent transfer also come close to São Paulo’s budget ceiling.

Recently, São Paulo eased the shortage of numbers in the position by reintegrating Ecuadorian Robert Arboleda, who had been serving a punishment for indiscipline. Under head coach Dorival Júnior, the coaching staff currently has five options for central defense: Alan Franco, Sabino, Osorio, Rafael Tolói, and Arboleda himself.

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