Marcos Leonardo rejects offers, tells Al Hilal he'll forgo wages | OneFootball

Forward celebrates goal scored for Fluminense in the last Club World Cup (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

RAFAEL EMILIANO@rafaelemilianoo

And the message, clearer than ever, that the 22-year-old forward really wants to experience a Copa Libertadores night at Morumbi was given this Monday (1).

In a meeting with Al Hilal executives, the former Santos player made it clear to the Saudis that he is not interested in any offer other than São Paulo’s. And that, for this to happen, he will help with the negotiations.

The young forward communicated that if Al Hilal loans him to Tricolor, he will give up receiving his salary of about R$ 2.7 million until the end of the year, including signing bonuses and other bonuses he would be entitled to. For this reason, he accepts the amount offered by the Morumbi club for the period (a much smaller sum).

The obvious counterpart is that Al Hilal agrees to loan him to São Paulo for free until the end of December.

Marcos Leonardo will not be registered in the Saudi League due to the foreign player limit, which motivates the loan to avoid inactivity. For Al Hilal, releasing the player means saving resources on an athlete who is not in coach Simone Inzaghi’s plans.

Playing in Brazil could increase the forward’s value for future sales, especially if he stands out in competitions like the Copa Libertadores or is called up to the Brazilian National Team.

With two days left until the transfer window closes, Tricolor was already pessimistic about being able to bring in a replacement for the forward position after failed initial attempts with Marcelo Ryan, Pedro Rocha, and Marcos Leonardo himself, before the turnaround in the case.

Marcos Leonardo has been standing out in the ‘Arab world’. He was one of the highlights of Al Hilal’s campaign in the Club World Cup and finished as the tournament’s top scorer, with four goals in five games. For the club, he has 49 matches, 29 goals, and three assists in total. He was signed for a hefty fee from Benfica in September 2024, for 40 million euros, with a contract until June 2029.

He would come to São Paulo to solve everyone’s problem: Tricolor, who needs a center forward; the player, who needs to play to be remembered by Carlo Ancelotti; and Al Hilal, who couldn’t register the star and doesn’t lose visibility of their asset in the market.

São Paulo is in the market looking for a center forward after the serious injury to André Silva was confirmed, who may only return to play next year.

Without him and two other options (Calleri and Ryan Francisco, who are also in the Reffis), Hernán Crespio has, to field the attack as a natural center forward, his fellow countryman Dinneno, a name who arrived from Cruzeiro when the coach was still Luis Zubeldía, who even recommended him to Tricolor (a fact, by the way, that may contribute to his limited use under the new manager).

Besides Dinneno, other players can be improvised, such as wingers Ferreirinha and Tapia, as well as Luciano, who can play as a false 9.

With a spending cap and budget limit, Tricolor is having difficulty going to the market to find a name to strengthen its squad. The option is for someone free on the market or who arrives on loan. Time is of the essence, as the transfer window closes on September 2.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.