What Happened in Brazilian Soccer Yesterday (Thusday, August 12th, 2025)

Atlético-MG

• At 23 years old, Reinier is trying to regain the form that made him stand out at Flamengo and led to his move to Real Madrid, after an unremarkable spell in Europe.

• Fluminense has agreed to terms with Igor Rabello and is awaiting Atlético-MG’s clearance to sign the defender, with São Paulo and Fortaleza also interested.

• The club’s director says the team is ready for the Copa do Brasil derby against Cruzeiro and denies any Saudi offer for Scarpa.

Bahia

• Bahia began the week’s training ahead of the match against Corinthians, still without Erick Pulga, who remains in the medical department with a muscle injury. Kanu, Erick, and Fredi are also in treatment, while Rodrigo Nestor is in physical and technical transition.

• The club attempted to sign goalkeeper Neto, but Botafogo offered a much higher salary and hijacked the deal.

• Defender Santiago Ramos Mingo has attracted interest from Feyenoord and Spanish clubs, with a possible move in the next transfer window. Signed this season, the 25-year-old defender with 37 appearances in 2025 has a contract until December 2029.

Botafogo

• Eagle Football Holdings, owned by John Textor, is in crisis after creditor Ares Management—owed €425 million from the Lyon acquisition—took control and reduced Textor’s power. The situation directly affects Botafogo SAF, stemming from debt-funded investments and poor decisions, with no clear outlook for the group or the club.

• Director Léo Coelho confirmed goalkeeper John’s stay, stated the club is looking for a right-footed center-back and a striker (Chris Ramos), but will not sign a right winger unless as a replacement. He emphasized that the SAF dispute does not affect football operations and previewed the Copa do Brasil quarterfinal against Vasco.

• Botafogo will face Vasco in the Copa do Brasil quarterfinals, with the first leg at São Januário and the return leg at Nilton Santos. If they advance, they will face Fluminense or Bahia in the semifinals.

Bragantino

• Red Bull Bragantino U20 faces Athletico-PR this Friday (15) at 7 p.m., in a single-leg Brazilian U20 Championship semifinal match.

• The first team returned to training after their seventh straight defeat and may be without Pedro Henrique and Isidro Pitta against Ceará, after both reported physical issues in the match against Inter.

Ceará

• Ceará accepted an offer from Persija Jakarta, and Bruno Tubarão will leave the club permanently. The player has already said goodbye to the squad and will move to Indonesian football.

• Ceará agreed to sign forward Paulo Baya, owned by Primavera/SP and previously at Fluminense.

Corinthians

• Corinthians received a three-window transfer ban after losing their CAS appeal over a US$6.145 million debt to Santos Laguna for Félix Torres, having paid only US$2 million so far.

• Memphis Depay is expected to return in about a month after a thigh injury, while Carrillo, who underwent ankle ligament surgery, is out for the season.

• The club could earn up to R$300 million from extending LFU broadcast contracts with Record and YouTube until 2029, due to projected revenue increases from Brasileirão TV rights.

Cruzeiro

• Cruzeiro agreed to a one-season loan with a purchase option for Colombian forward Luis Sinisterra from Bournemouth, awaiting final details before confirmation.

• With Gabigol, Kaio Jorge, and Matheus Pereira together, the club has 1 win, 2 draws, and 3 losses, with 1 goal scored and 3 conceded, confirming poor performance.

• Cruzeiro association posted a R$159.38 million surplus in 2024 and reports R$714.58 million receivable from SAF for judicial recovery.

Flamengo

• Flamengo and Internacional face off today at 9:30 p.m. at Maracanã in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores round of 16, both at full strength except for suspended Arrascaeta.

• Flamengo is negotiating a new main sponsorship starting in September, with SuperBet and Betano competing for a deal worth over R$200 million annually to replace PixBet.

• Inter owes Flamengo R$8 million for the purchase of Thiago Maia, adding tension to their Libertadores clash.

Fluminense

• Fluminense, even close to signing Igor Rabello, is seeking another center-back for the cups and the 2026 season. The club dreams of bringing back Nino and sees the need for reinforcements due to Thiago Silva’s age, expiring contracts, and a lack of experienced options.

• The team beat América de Cali 2–1 away in the Copa Sudamericana but missed several chances to secure qualification. Defensive mistakes and a late conceded goal keep the tie open for the second leg at Maracanã.

• Ceará signed Paulo Baya, 26, who will leave Fluminense and return to Primavera-SP for further negotiations.

Fortaleza

• Fortaleza 0–0 Vélez Sarsfield at Castelão, Copa Libertadores round of 16 first leg. Renato Paiva lamented the lack of attacking play and expressed concern over injuries to Kuscevic and Lucca Prior. The return leg will be next Tuesday (19) in Argentina, with another draw leading to penalties.

• Despite an improved second half, the team failed to create clear chances and lost Matheus Rossetto to a red card.

• Matheus Pereira entered the medical department with a left thigh injury, while João Ricardo began recovery from a hand fracture. The club still had five injured players unavailable against Vélez.

Grêmio

• Grêmio terminated Nathan’s contract, arranged Carballo’s loan to MLS, and had already transferred Arezo to Peñarol and Igor Serrote to Al Jazira.

• The club set a deadline until the end of the week for Al Rayyan to respond to their offer for Róger Guedes, their top transfer target.

• Grêmio is late on payments to Douglas Costa related to his 2022 contract termination, with fines and interest pending.

Internacional

• Inter arrived in Rio to face Flamengo with a welcome of 200 fans and “streets of fire,” with Aguirre and Vitão returning to the starting lineup.

• Abel Braga sees balance between Inter and Flamengo in the Libertadores round of 16, criticizes modern football, and recalls past successes in the competition.

• Inter and Fernando mutually terminated their contract, with the midfielder waiving R$5 million and opting to treat a knee injury in Goiânia.

Juventude

• The Juventude board approved continuing talks to transform the club into a SAF with Five Eleven Capital, which proposed R$400 million over 25 years without involving club assets. The plan would use club facilities and allocate 75% of the annual budget to professional football, though no final agreement has been reached.

Mirassol

• In their debut Série A season and currently 6th with 28 points, Mirassol aims to become the third newcomer to qualify for an international tournament. The club is targeting the 2026 Copa Libertadores preliminary round after surpassing its initial goal of avoiding relegation.

Palmeiras

• Palmeiras wants to renew Abel Ferreira’s contract until December 2027, with president Leila Pereira reaffirming her desire personally and awaiting the right moment to finalize.

• Marcos Rocha, 36, was offered to Grêmio due to his high salary (R$480,000) and desire for a two-year deal, making negotiations difficult.

• Fulham offered €37 million for Kevin, formerly of Palmeiras. If the sale goes through, Palmeiras would earn about €4.4 million (R$28 million) from resale and solidarity clauses.

Santos

• Goalkeeper João Paulo, with 237 matches for Santos, received a loan offer with a purchase option from a Turkish club. The proposal is being evaluated by management, with no disclosed figures.

• Forward Rafael Freitas, 20, had his loan to Santos extended until July 2026 despite recovering from a knee injury, with the club planning a permanent move.

• Santos defeated Velo Clube 2–0 in the 15th round of the Paulista U20 Championship, securing a spot in the next stage.

São Paulo

• Atlético Nacional (COL) 0–0 São Paulo, Copa Libertadores round of 16 first leg at Estadio Atanasio Girardot.

• São Paulo was negotiating to sign Igor Rabello, but Fluminense entered with a higher offer, pushing the club away from the deal.

• The club showed interest in midfielder Cristian Medina, 23, and made a loan-with-purchase-offer to Estudiantes, but is facing release difficulties.

• For the Libertadores match against Atlético Nacional, São Paulo had seven players out injured (Luiz Gustavo, Arboleda, Calleri, Hugo Leonardo, Oscar, Ryan Francisco, and Wendell) and no suspensions.

Sport Recife

• Sport finalized the signing of Lucas Kal, formerly of São Paulo and Vasco, arriving free from Al-Riyadh on a deal until the end of 2026. The defensive midfielder, who can also play center-back, replaces Chico and strengthens the club’s fight against relegation in Série A.

• Newell’s Old Boys made an offer for Rodrigo Atencio, but Sport’s counteroffer was considered unrealistic by the Argentine club.

• Defender João Silva may be loaned out in this window, with Almería and Zaragoza interested, and Genk and Famalicão also monitoring the situation.

Vasco

• Vasco is monitoring center-back Rafael Tolói, currently a free agent, but has not yet made official contact. The club sees the Italian international as a potential defensive reinforcement.

• An Israeli club has shown interest in midfielder Matheus Carvalho and may offer up to €2 million. Negotiations could progress in the coming days despite no formal contact yet.

• Vasco is still negotiating with Galatasaray for Carlos Cuesta and is expected to increase its offer. The Colombian defender already has an agreement with the club and refused to play in Russian football.

Vitória

• Midfielder Rúben Ismael will undergo surgery and be out for at least four weeks. Signed in July, the Portuguese player has only played 17 minutes for the club so far.

• Vitória converted midfielder Pepê’s suspension into a R$70,000 fine, making him available for the match against Juventude.

• A meeting between Vitória and Qatar Sports Investments is scheduled for December 28 to discuss possible investment from the group that owns PSG and other clubs worldwide.