ESPN BREAKS AUDIENCE RECORD WITH FLAMENGO AT LIBERTADORES

Giorgian De Arrascaeta's desire to end his career at Flamengo is already known. Now, the Uruguayan midfielder is seeking to extend his contract with the club until the end of 2028. Currently, the parties have resumed talks to reach an agreement .

The information was released by UOL reporter Bruno Braz, who highlighted the optimism surrounding the negotiations: "I believe that, if it doesn't go exactly as Arrascaeta hoped, it will be very close. The trend is for a happy ending, with Arrascaeta renewing for a longer period ," the journalist stated.

PROGRESS OF NEGOTIATIONS

The first talks took place in early 2025, but they stalled. The player's initial intention was to renew mid-year , but the club preferred to postpone negotiations until the end of the season. The Uruguayan's current contract runs until December 2026.

NEXT GAME

While negotiating his renewal, Arrascaeta remains at Filipe Luís' disposal. Flamengo faces Estudiantes de La Plata (ARG) this Thursday (18), at 9:30 pm (Brasília time) , at Maracanã, for the first leg of the Libertadores quarterfinals.

TRANSMISSION

The duel between Flamengo and Estudiantes will not be shown on free-to-air TV and will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN (pay TV) and Disney+ (streaming), but fans will be kept up to date with all the details of the match on Gazeta do Urubu.

Coach Filipe Luís has been frequently associated with Jorge Jesus . This Tuesday (16), the current Al Nassr commander made a point of publicly praising his Brazilian compatriot in an interview with Canal Goat . According to the Portuguese, the relationship between the two goes beyond the field, marked by friendship, gratitude and a constant exchange of ideas about football.

Jorge Jesus on Flamengo's Filipe Luís: "I really believe in his growth"

"Besides being a friend, he's a grateful person, and there are people in football who forget things very easily. We continue to talk a lot. He's a coach just starting his career and has absorbed the knowledge of my way of working , and I strongly believe in his growth," said Jorge Jesus.

The Portuguese also highlighted Filipe Luís's personality and promising future: " He's learning; our early years are like that, just like mine . Now, I know he has a bright future; he will. He's a great friend. Filipe is a grateful friend, a great family man, and he'll be a great coach."

COMMON HISTORY

Filipe Luís and Jorge Jesus worked together in 2019, when the former full-back was a key player in Flamengo 's Libertadores and Brasileirão championship. During that time, the club also won the Recopa, the Supercopa do Brasil, and the Campeonato Carioca . The current Mengão coach acknowledges the Portuguese's influence on his career and admits to modeling himself on the former Flamengo manager's style:

"I can never compare past teams with my current team; they have completely different players. I can never compare myself to the coach I was in charge of at that time, Jorge Jesus. If he's not the best in history, he's one of the best to have played here at Flamengo . I'll never be like him, I'll never do anything like what he did," the coach declared.

FLAMENGO'S NEXT GAMES

Flamengo returns to the field this Thursday (18), at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), at Maracanã, against Estudiantes (ARG) , for the first leg of the Libertadores quarterfinals. On Sunday (21), also at Maracanã, the red-black team faces Vasco, in a classic valid for the Brazilian Championship. In the first round, the teams drew goalless.

Flamengo's latest transfer window had an impact on the European market . In an interview with UOL, football director José Boto stated that the arrivals of Saúl, Samuel Lino, Emerson Royal, and Carrascal increased the club's visibility among players playing outside of Brazil .

José Boto on players offering themselves to Flamengo: "There were important and well-known players who showed interest in coming"

"In terms of the market, this window has a bit of an impact in Europe, opening Flamengo 's doors even further to European players. They're seeing this type of player coming here and are more interested in coming," Boto stated.

WANTED BY STARS

The Portuguese director also revealed that prominent European football players had offered to play for Flamengo , but the club chose not to move forward with negotiations . According to him, there was no need for reinforcements in those positions.

"I won't name names, but after these signings, some important and well-known players showed interest in coming . These were positions we didn't need, and I've also said that sometimes, too much water kills the plant. We didn't want to turn it into something that could harm the team," he added.

HIRING UNDER BOTO'S MANAGEMENT

José Boto took over the club's management after Luiz Eduardo Baptista (BAP) was elected president. Since then, seven new signings have been confirmed, with a total investment of €48 million (approximately R$301 million) :

• Juninho – 5 million euros (R$ 31 million)
• Danilo – free
• Jorginho – free
• Saul – free
• Samuel Lino – 22 million euros (R$ 143 million)
• Emerson Royal – 9 million euros (R$ 59 million)
• Carrascal – 12 million euros (R$ 78 million)
•