DR Congo captain-defender at the Cup offered to São Paulo, ban stalls | OneFootball

Center-back Chancel Mbemba was offered to São Paulo in recent days. Captain of the Democratic Republic of the Congo national team and with 2026 World Cup experience, the 31-year-old defender appeals to the club’s leadership because of his profile as a leader and his international experience.

Despite the positive assessment of the player, São Paulo chose not to open negotiations at this time.

The board’s absolute priority is to resolve the pending FIFA transfer ban and only then move forward with talks for new signings on the market, especially foreign players.

Following São Paulo’s refusal, Botafogo also received the offer for the player and opened negotiations to complete the signing.

Mbemba has built up significant experience in European football, with spells at clubs such as FC Porto, Newcastle United, and Olympique de Marseille, most recently having played for French side Lille.

He is the second African defender who played in the World Cup to be offered to the Morumbi side. Last week, information leaked that São Paulo ruled out signing center-back Roberto “Pico” Lopes, 34, who played in the World Cup for the Cape Verde national team.

The defender, currently under contract with Ireland’s Shamrock Rovers, was offered to the São Paulo club’s board by his representatives. Although the player has a contractual clause that allows for his immediate release in the event of offers from abroad, Tricolor chose not to pursue the talks.

During the initial approach, São Paulo’s board even inquired about the financial terms of the deal. The initial plan was for a permanent one-year contract, with the possibility of an extension for another season if performance targets were met.

The club made a salary offer equivalent to the center-back’s current wages in Irish football, but the player’s camp submitted a counteroffer with higher figures, which stalled progress on the agreement.

São Paulo cooled its search in the market for a center-back somewhat after signing Portuguese defender Domingos Duarte, who agreed to a contract but has not yet been officially announced by the board because of the transfer ban imposed by FIFA over the non-payment involving Marcos Antonio.

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