Author: Soorya G
Flamengo are continuing negotiations to sign midfielder Claudinho from Russian club Zenit. The soccer department is aware of the amount it will need to invest in the player and, as time goes by, is becoming more flexible with the figures. Flamengo are in constant talks with the Russian club to reach a common ground.
There are reports confirming that everything is in order between Flamengo and Claudinho. The player likes the project and the platform the team can offer, especially considering the Brazilian national team. Now all that remains is to meet Zenit’s asking price, which is around 18 million euros, approximately R$95 million.
Initially, Flamengo wanted to take the lead in the negotiations and try to close the deal with a bid of around 15 million euros. However, he quickly realized that the Russians were not willing to compromise on values. The initial asking price of 18 million euros seemed daunting, but now it seems that the Brazilians are willing to give in.
At the moment, the plan oscillates between the values presented, with Flamengo trying to reduce the asking price as much as possible. The vice-president of soccer, Marcos Braz, spoke about the subject on Monday at a press conference after the presentation of Luiz Araújo. According to him, negotiations are underway, but he added that an agreement is far from being reached, calling the negotiations “complicated”.
“We have to be patient. We’ve had to be patient in recent negotiations, and when Flamengo goes after a player on the market, given the size of Flamengo today, the financial expectations they think they’re going to extract from Flamengo… there are market limits, how much we think the player is worth goes through the financial flow, how the payments are going to be and how the clubs are going to accept it” he said.
Claudinho, with roots at Corinthians, has shown his skills at various clubs in São Paulo, such as Santo André, Ponte Preta and Oeste. His journey took him to Bragantino, where he grew up and moved on to Zenit in Russia. Another motivation for Claudinho’s desire to move to Flamengo comes from the fact that the Brazilian club is considered a stepping stone to the national team, something that is firmly in the player’s ambition.