The essentials: São Paulo and Calleri begin talks over contract renewal | OneFootball

São Paulo has begun talks to renew Calleri's contract, which ends at the end of the year. The discussions, led by football executive Rui Costa, are said to have started this week and are still in the early stages. There is optimism about extending the contract for one or two more seasons.

Internally, keeping the 32-year-old forward is seen as a priority, so much so that a source from the club's leadership summarized the board's position: "São Paulo needs him."

The recent numbers help explain the interest in advancing the negotiations. Besides his current form, Calleri already holds a significant position in the club's history. He is currently the second-highest foreign scorer for São Paulo, only behind Uruguayan Pedro Rocha.

Furthermore, Calleri scored eight goals in 14 games this season, his best start to a year since arriving at Morumbi. In previous years, his most productive starts were in 2022, with six goals, and in 2016, 2021, 2023, and 2024, when he scored four.

In historical comparison, this mark also stands out. According to the club, considering the first 14 games of each player in a season, the last to achieve similar performances were Gilberto and Hernanes in 2017, with ten and eight goals, respectively.

The São Paulo record in this regard, however, remains distant: Waldemar de Brito scored 29 times in the first 14 games of 1933. Before him, Friedenreich scored 22 in 1931, while Serginho Chulapa reached 20 in 1982.

Calleri is not the only player with a contractual situation under discussion. Lucas Moura is also reportedly negotiating an extension, as his contract also ends in December. The 2026 season could mark a possible end of cycle for some important figures in the squad, but in recent months, the club has already managed to extend the stay of other players.

Luciano, Marcos Antônio, and Sabino have had their contracts extended, as well as Negrucci, whose renewal is the only one not yet officially announced by Tricolor.

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