São Paulo to loan academy graduate midfielder to Alex's Série B side | OneFootball

São Paulo are in advanced talks to loan defensive midfielder Negrucci, 22, to Athletic, the Minas Gerais club that plays in Brazil’s Série B.

The deal under discussion provides for the Cotia academy product to join on loan for six months, in other words, for the remainder of the 2026 season.

The financial arrangement includes monetary compensation for the Morumbi club, with the final figures still being aligned between the two boards.

The news was first reported by the UOL portal and confirmed to AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR by club sources consulted throughout this Wednesday (15).

The imminent transfer has the backing of the Minas Gerais side’s coach, Alex. The former midfielder worked directly with Negrucci during his time in charge of São Paulo’s under-20 team between 2021 and 2022, a period in which the defensive midfielder solidified his development before being integrated into the senior squad at Morumbi.

Contract protection and development plan

Although he has not managed to put together a run of matches with the Tricolor first team, Negrucci is internally regarded as one of the most promising assets developed at the Cotia training center.

That internal valuation was reflected in the contract renewal signed in February this year, which extended the midfielder’s deal through December 2030, with an automatic renewal clause through 2031 based on performance targets.

São Paulo’s board included the following contractual safeguards in the player’s new deal, with an international release clause set at 100 million euros (approximately R$584 million at the current exchange rate).

Holding an Italian passport, Negrucci drew interest from clubs in that European country earlier this year, but chose to remain at São Paulo after being promised more playing time. At the time, under Argentine coach Hernán Crespo, he had been working as a center-back.

Despite the legal protection against foreign-market approaches, São Paulo’s football department and coaching staff share the view that the player needs more minutes and a higher level of professional competition to speed up his technical and physical development. With that in mind, a loan move to the Minas Gerais club is seen as the ideal scenario at this stage of his career.

Tricolor squad reshaping in the transfer window

Negrucci’s likely temporary departure is part of the squad adjustment and streamlining plan being carried out by São Paulo’s board for the second half of 2026. In addition to the defensive midfielder, the club has recently arranged the departures of other first-team players:

Loans being finalized: Alan Franco (Tigres-MEX) and Tapia (Columbus Crew-USA);

Negotiations and contract terminations: Young (Portimonense-POR), Matheus Belém (FK Qabala-AZE), and the mutual termination of defensive midfielder Luan’s contract.

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