Brazilian duo Lucas Beraldo and Pablo Maia are not putting ‘pressure’ on Sao Paulo to let them go amid interest from Premier League giants Liverpool and Arsenal.
That is according to Rui Costa, Sao Paulo’s director of football.
The Tricolor chief knows that ‘the moment will come’ when Lucas Beraldo and Pablo Maia say goodbye, Liverpool and Arsenal among those reportedly interested in the highly-rated pair.
But having only recently signed new long-term contracts, the Premier League powerhouses can forget about landing two of South America’s rising talents on the cheap.
Liverpool and Arsenal eye Sao Paulo raid
“They are boys with very good minds, who know that the moment will come (to leave). We’ll always talk to the agent and the player,” Rui Costa tells Globo Esporte, via CNN.
“We ended up renewing Beraldo’s contract. We recently renewed with both (Rodrigo) Nestor and Pablo. They all have a contract (at least) until 2027. We will negotiate with each of them if the offer is good for everyone.
“But I have never faced pressure from these boys. Quite the opposite.”
In addition to Liverpool, there is interest from Manchester United, Newcastle, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur in Beraldo, a £20 million-rated, left-sided centre-half (Daily Mirror, 26th November, page 70).
The tough-tackling Maia is valued a little lower, at around £13 million. West Ham, Fulham and Nottingham Forest showed interest in the recent past, with Arsenal now in contention amid the rising doubts over Thomas Partey’s future (TEAMtalk).
Tottenham and Newcastle watching closely
Back in 2022, Sao Paulo were forced to let Gabriel Sara join Norwich City for far less than they valued him at. Rui Costa, however, insists that the days of letting star players go for below-market-value figures are now over.
“What has changed is that, now, we only sell players for the price we think is fair,” the director explains. “Many times we had to sell for less than the value we thought was correct and fair.
“Gabriel Sara left for good money, to England. £9 million pounds. But we knew that Sara would be worth much more.
“We will analyse case by case but, in a difference with previous years, now we can better insure the player and get better value.”
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