It didn’t take long for Santos to respond to Arsenal’s approaches for Gabigol. The Brazilian club are already planning to offer the player a contract extension, as they want to keep the youngster for a few more years.
Speaking to Globo Esporte, Santos’ president Modesto Roma said: “Santos will do everything to keep its athletes. It’s good for Santos and for Lucas Lima that he fulfils the contract.
“And the club wants Gabriel to fulfil his too, unless someone pays the release clause. We are open to talk, to negotiate. The career of a player isn’t only based on money.”
According to Globo Esporte, Santos would be planning to make a career plan, offering Gabigol a language course, media training, a psychologist and a speech therapist. The club would also encouraging commercial deals, just like they did with Neymar, to increase the player’s wages by using his image rights.
The 19-year-old would also receive a pay rise, with bigger bonuses for performances and titles. His contract would be extended until 2021, as the current one expires in 2019.
Gabigol’s family and agent reportedly want him to stay at least until the end of the year, unless the player receives an irresistible offer from a top European club.
Globo Esporte says his release clause is €50m, which goes against what the agent Wagner Ribeiro said, when he claimed that European clubs could take the player for only €18m.
Radio Bandeirantes recently claimed that Arsenal had activated this €18m clause, which didn’t sound true. The ESPN Brasil report talking about a regular bid seemed much more reliable.
