São Paulo agree Ajax deal to sign defender relegated with Fortaleza | OneFootball

São Paulo is close to finalizing its first signing for 2026.

The player in question is defender Gastón Ávila, who played in the last Brazilian Championship for Fortaleza and will not remain with the northeastern club after their relegation to Serie B.

The 24-year-old Argentine is a suggestion from coach Hernán Crespo, who is interested in the player’s ability to play on the left side (and can also fill in as a left-back).

Ávila belongs to Ajax, from the Netherlands, with whom he has a contract until June 2028. He played a total of 34 matches this year for Fortaleza, who paid 50% of his salary.

AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR has learned that, in order to secure the Boca Juniors youth product, São Paulo has agreed with Ajax to pay the defender’s full salary during the loan until December 2026, which amounts to around R$ 750,000 per month.

The Morumbi club has also agreed to a definitive purchase clause, something Ajax did not have in their agreement with Fortaleza. If Ávila impresses during the loan period, the fee for a permanent transfer will be 3.5 million euros (approximately R$ 22.3 million).

According to sources within São Paulo’s football management, the deal is down to bureaucratic details. There is strong optimism that it will be made official by the beginning of next week.

The search for a defender shows that it is unlikely all current players in that position will remain with the squad. As AMT has already reported, Arboleda’s agent, for example, is traveling in search of offers for the Ecuadorian. Before Ávila, Tricolor made inquiries about Jemmes, from Mirassol, but the release fee was higher than what São Paulo can currently afford.

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