The money Flamengo are spending on the signing of Andreas Pereira from Manchester United continues to be a hot topic in the Brazilian media.
This week, we’d already seen a column from UOL’s André Nunes Rocha claiming the Rio de Janeiro side were only paying €10.5m due to ‘marketing reasons’.
Now in another story from UOL, this time from Rodrigo Mattos, more details about this decision is revealed.
The journalist starts by claiming that even members from Flamengo’s board have been questioning this investment. The negotiation is said to be ‘practically closed’ for €10m, with Manchester United having 25% of a future move.
Manchester United and Flamengo initially agreed a buying option of €20m, which was seen as fair at the time, mostly because of his experience in European football.
It’s pointed out that Andreas had an impressive few months during his loan spell. He continues to have one of the best physical shapes in the squad, and both he and manager Paulo Sousa want his stay at the club.
Flamengo, however, could never pay that much. So they initially made an offer worth €8m, and the email wasn’t even responded by the Red Devils. They club officials went to Europe and started raising the bid.
According to Rodrigo Mattos, the fact that Manchester United are the sellers also put the price up. It’s known that the richer the club, the more expensive the players, and Flamengo ended up accepting that.
