Player reveals key reason European club turned down Flamengo offer | OneFootball

What did Luiz Henrique, Zenit (RUS) forward, say about Flamengo?

Luiz Henrique is currently at Zenit (RUS), but when he was playing for Betis (ESP), Flamengo tried to sign the forward. In this context, the player explained why the Spanish club did not want to close a deal with Rubro-Negro and instead accepted Botafogo’s offer in 2024.

— There were several Brazilian clubs interested in signing me. Flamengo came in strong as well. Flamengo wanted me on loan, but Betis (ESP) wanted to sell. At that moment, John Textor (owner of Botafogo’s SAF) came in strong and bought me, said Luiz Henrique in an interview with ‘Charla Podcast’.

It’s important to note that Flamengo had Luiz Henrique as one of their ‘targets’ during the 2024 transfer window. However, since Rubro-Negro could not reach an agreement with Betis, the forward’s path led him to Botafogo, where he played until the end of the season, transferring to Zenit at the start of 2025.

WHAT IS FLAMENGO’S CURRENT SITUATION?

Without Luiz Henrique, Flamengo has been stacking up trophies over the past few seasons. In 2024, Mengão won the Copa do Brasil against Atlético-MG at Arena MRV. This year, it was Rubro-Negro’s turn to win the Supercopa do Brasil, the Carioca, Brasileirão, and the Libertadores da América.

After a victorious year, the Flamengo squad has started their vacation days. The return of the players to training in 2026 remains without a set date. What is already known is that the under-20 team will be responsible for starting Mengo’s first matches in the Carioca. The players have already started preseason on Thursday (18th) at CT Ninho do Urubu.

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