Old flame: São Paulo and Scarpa rekindle interest, need Atlético-MG | OneFootball

An old São Paulo fling decided to send a “long time no see” message in recent days: Gustavo Scarpa.

According to what AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR has learned, the attacking midfielder, who is going through a very poor spell at Atlético-MG, practically being just a backup option for the Minas Gerais side, which has been in constant crisis since the start of the year, has been sounding out the Morumbi club through his representatives.

São Paulo have never hidden their desire to have Scarpa. That is nothing new. At the beginning of the year, trying to meet then-coach Hernán Crespo’s request, the club inquired about the player as an option to replace Oscar, who had retired.

At the time, Atlético’s response was discouraging: the asking price was 4 million euros (approximately R$ 25.4 million). And as is well known, money has been in short supply at Morumbi.

Speaking to the report, sources in São Paulo’s top brass said the situation has not changed much. Despite the open flirtation between player and Tricolor, the move depends on Galo to happen. For that reason, officially, the “monitoring” is not even being treated as an early-stage negotiation.

Scarpa is under contract with Galo until the end of next year, and the club paid 5 million euros (around R$ 29.2 million) to Nottingham Forest of England to sign him. It is only natural, therefore, that the Minas Gerais club would want compensation to let him go.

When consulted, coach Roger Machado approved the name. He likes Scarpa’s versatility, as besides playing as a central attacking midfielder, he can also operate out wide, fitting the coach’s tactical requirements.

One hope for the player’s camp lies in the likely squad overhaul and spending cuts Atlético are expected to carry out in the next transfer window. Club idol Hulk has been released. Others are expected to be as well.

Scarpa would be on that list because of his limited use this year. He has played 21 matches, scoring two goals and providing four assists.

Talking to the Minas Gerais club is essential for São Paulo, since the attacking midfielder has already played ten matches in the Brazilian Championship. Three more and he will no longer be able to play for another club in the competition. In the Copa do Brasil, for example, he would already be a certain absence.

Those are the reasons why São Paulo are being cautious. Without a little help from Galo, whether by allowing a loan move or otherwise, it is understood that nothing will move forward. And there is also the planning issue, after all, bringing in a player who arrives already unable to play some matches may not be a practical solution.

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