Palmeiras and Santos tried to gazump São Paulo for Marcos Leonardo | OneFootball

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

RAFAEL EMILIANO@rafaelemilianoo

The leak of information that São Paulo has opened negotiations to sign forward Marcos Leonardo from Al Hilal, Saudi Arabia, sparked a real backstage race in the soccer market among those interested in acquiring the player.

Two of these interested parties are old acquaintances of São Paulo fans: Santos and Palmeiras.

According to information gathered by AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR, the tricolor rivals approached Marcos Leonardo's staff interested in "crossing" the negotiations with the Morumbi club.

Santos tried to use an emotional tactic similar to São Paulo, in this case, the fact that Marcos Leonardo was revealed at Vila Belmiro. Meanwhile, Palmeiras promised to cover any financial offer made by the Tricolor.

The more than clear message that the 22-year-old forward truly wants to experience a Copa Libertadores night at Morumbi was given this Monday (1).

In a meeting with Al Hilal's directors, the former Santos player was clear in telling the Saudis that he is not interested in any other offer except São Paulo's, even those from abroad. And to that end, he will assist in the negotiation.

The young forward communicated that if Al Hilal loans him to the Tricolor, he will forgo receiving the salary of about R$ 2.7 million until the end of the year, including signing bonuses and bonuses he would be entitled to. Therefore, he accepts to earn what the Morumbi club offers during the period (a much smaller amount).

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

Marcos Leonardo will not be registered in the Saudi Championship 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 outside 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 for the Brazilian National Team.

With two days until the transfer window closes, the Tricolor was already pessimistic about securing a replacement for the forward position after initial frustrated 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 price 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: the Tricolor, which needs a center forward, the player who needs to play to be remembered by Carlo Ancelotti, and Al Hilal, which couldn't register the star and doesn't lose the visibility of its asset in the market.

Without him and two other options (Calleri and Ryan Francisco, who are also at Reffis), Hernán Crespo has to field in attack, as a natural center forward, the compatriot Dinneno, a name that came from Cruzeiro when the coach was Luis Zubeldía, who even recommended him to the Tricolor (a fact, by the way, that may contribute to his low usage with the new manager).

Besides Dinneno, players can be improvised, like the wingers Ferreirinha and Tapia, as well as Luciano, who can perform roles like a false 9.

With a spending cap and budget limit, the Tricolor has difficulties going to the market in search of a name to reinforce its ranks. The option is for someone free in 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.