Ex-Flamengo says Vinícius Jr will win the Ballon d'Or

Flamengo has taken an important step towards finalizing the permanent transfer of midfielder Victor Hugo, 21 , to Famalicão, in Portugal. The Portuguese club has presented a purchase proposal that was considered satisfactory by the red-black board, which has already authorized the player's representatives to define the contract terms with the Europeans.

The expectation is that the contract with Famalicão will be valid for three seasons . The values involved in the negotiation were not revealed. The information was released by journalist Venê Casagrande.

NO SPACE IN THE CAST

Victor Hugo recently returned to the club after a loan spell at Goztepe in Turkey. The contract with the Turkish club included a buyout clause set at 8 million euros (approximately R$51 million) , but the European team chose not to exercise the option. Without a place in the squad led by Filipe Luís, the player is not part of the plans for the rest of the season.

Initially, Famalicão discussed the possibility of a new loan , but the talks evolved into a permanent transfer, considered the most advantageous solution by Flamengo 's football department.

PASSING TURKEY

During his time at Goztepe, Victor Hugo made 35 appearances, starting 12 of them, and scored three goals. He was involved in the team's eighth-place finish in the national league and also in the team's run to the semi-finals of the Turkish Cup, ending his spell with a stoppage-time goal against Kasimpasa on May 30.

Part of the Flamengo squad arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday morning (1) after being eliminated from the Club World Cup. The squad will therefore begin preparing for the rest of the season next Saturday (5).

SEE FLAMENGO'S CALENDAR

• To be defined – Flamengo x Sao Paulo (Brazilian Championship)
• 16/07 – Santos x Flamengo (Brazilian Championship)
• 20/07 – Flamengo x Fluminense (Brazilian Championship)
• 23/07 – Bragantino x Flamengo (Brazilian Championship)
• 27/07 – Flamengo x Atlético-MG (Copa do Brasil – Round of 16, Game 1)
• 31/07 – Atlético-MG x Flamengo (Copa do Brasil – Round of 16, Game 2)

So, in the coming weeks, Flamengo will face a marathon of games in the Brasileirão. The sequence begins between July 12th and 13th, against São Paulo, at Maracanã. Soon after, the Mais Querido will face Santos, with the location still to be defined. On the 20th, Mengo will play the classic against Fluminense.

On the 23rd, Flamengo travels to face Bragantino. It is worth noting that, at the moment, Mais Querido is the leader of the Brasileirão, with 24 points in 11 rounds.

At the end of July, Flamengo turns its attention to the Copa do Brasil. The Mais Querido will host Atlético-MG on the 27th, at Maracanã, for the first leg of the round of 16. Finally, on the 31st, the Rubro-Negro will visit the Minas Gerais team for the return leg.

FOCUS ON SEASON SEQUENCE

Thus, with the return of the athletes, coach Filipe Luís will begin preparing the squad for the rest of the season . Now, Rubro-Negro focuses its attention on the Brazilian Championship, Libertadores and Copa do Brasil.

On Tuesday (1), Zenit agreed to sign Gerson after depositing the amount of the midfielder's termination fee into Flamengo's bank account. Thus, with the amount, Mais Querido reached the budget target set for the season.

At the beginning of the season, Flamengo's idea was to raise around 35 million euros (R$225 million) from the sale of athletes in 2025. In this way, Rubro-Negro surpassed the mark, as it raised 47 million euros (R$302 million).

ALCARAZ AND FABRÍCIO BRUNO HELP TO COMPLEMENT THE GOAL

It is worth remembering that before the sale of Gerson , Flamengo had already agreed the sales of Fabrício Bruno, to Cruzeiro for 7 million euros (R$ 44 million) and Carlos Alcaraz, to Everton (ING), for 15 million euros (R$ 96 million).

BILLING MAY INCREASE

Despite having already surpassed the target set at the beginning of the year, Flamengo can still raise more money. This is because more players like Wesley are expected to leave during this transfer window. The full-back has already received inquiries from several European football clubs and could be sold for up to 35 million euros (R$225 million).

FOCUS ON SEASON SEQUENCE

Without Gerson, coach Filipe Luís will begin preparing the team for the rest of the season. Now, Rubro-Negro will focus its attention on the Brazilian Championship, Libertadores and Copa do Brasil. In the Brazilian Championship, Mais Querido is the leader, with 24 points, in addition to being qualified for the round of 16 of the knockout stages.