President of Santos reveals behind-the-scenes negotiations for Gabigol: "We are in the running"

Although he was the first signing by Flamengo in this transfer window, midfielder Jorge Carrascal was the last to show up in Rio de Janeiro . According to the 'GE' portal, the last document signed by the Russian club arrived at Flamengo late in the afternoon of this Friday (1st). With that, the official announcement of the player will be made in the coming days, after the conclusion of pending procedures with Atlético-MG.

WHAT DELAYED THE DELIVERY?

The reason for the delay was that Dynamo Moscow, his former club, took too long to complete the necessary paperwork for the transfer . The Russian team only released the Colombian after signing Rubens from Atlético-MG as a replacement.

At Dynamo's request, Flamengo will participate in the payment to Atlético-MG for Rubens' acquisition. Thus, a significant portion of the €12 million (R$77 million) invested by Carrascal will go to the Minas Gerais club.

Despite being in Rio since Wednesday, Carrascal has not yet been regularized with the CBF, which prevents him from playing in the next matches — against Ceará, this Sunday (3), for the Brasileirão, and against Atlético-MG, Wednesday (7), for the second leg of the round of 16 of the Copa do Brasil. The registration deadlines for both matches have already expired.

PREMIERE FORECAST

The Colombian's debut is scheduled for August 9th against Mirassol at Maracanã, in the final round of the first half of the Brazilian Championship . Having been training regularly and playing for Dinamo, Carrascal is expected to be available to Filipe Luís as soon as he is officially confirmed. He has already passed the medical exams but will only be able to train with the club after being registered.

Flamengo received, this Friday (1st), another millionaire amount related to the sale of right-back Matheuzinho. Corinthians paid around R$ 14 million to Rubro-Negro , paying off the remaining amount of the negotiation made in February of this year.

At the time, the Rio de Janeiro club sold the player for R$21.48 million, but Corinthians delayed the third installment of the agreement. As a result, Flamengo demanded immediate payment of the entire outstanding amount . The information was initially reported by the portal Meu Timão.

HOW WAS THE DEBT PAID?

To facilitate the payment, Corinthians signed an agreement with Brax, the company responsible for marketing advertising signs for both clubs. The company acted as guarantor for the deal and transferred the funds to Flamengo .

By August, Corinthians had already paid R$8 million directly to the Rio de Janeiro club. It then transferred R$7.58 million to Brax , which topped up the amount with another R$6 million , fully settling the debt with the club.

FOCUS ON THE BRAZILIAN CHAMPIONSHIP

While the board celebrates receiving the amount, Flamengo remains focused on the field. The team led by Filipe Luís returns to play this Sunday (3), against Ceará, at 6:30 pm (Brasília time), at Arena Castelão, for the 18th round of the Brasileirão. The match will be broadcast live on Premiere, on pay-per-view.

Flamengo has already made four signings official this transfer window , but the delay in negotiations has drawn criticism from some fans . During striker Samuel Lino's presentation, football director José Boto spoke out on the matter and apologized to the Flamengo Nation.

“Sometimes things take a little longer than the fans want, and I apologize to the fans, but we ( Flamengo 's board) have fixed ideas, and as long as it's possible to have the players we want , we'll go after it,” explained Boto.

HOW DOES FLAMENGO MOVE IN THE WINDOW?

Brazilian football's second transfer window opened on July 10th, and Flamengo began the period cautiously, monitoring the market and evaluating options. As the weeks progressed, the board accelerated negotiations and secured four key signings : Saúl Ñíguez, Emerson Royal, Samuel Lino, and Jorge Carrascal.

ARE MORE HIRES ON THE WAY?

Despite the names already confirmed, Flamengo remains attentive to the market. The club is in ongoing negotiations with Fiorentina, Italy, to sign striker Lucas Beltrán . Flamengo has already agreed on a fee with the Italian club, but still needs to convince the Argentine player to return to South America.

NEXT APPOINTMENT ON THE FIELD

While the board works behind the scenes, the squad led by Filipe Luís focuses on the challenges on the field. Flamengo's next match is this Sunday (3), against Ceará , at 6:30 pm (Brasília time), at Castelão, for the 18th round of the Brazilian Championship.