The Brazilian Market: Transfer window from July 3rd to August 2nd, 2023

The mid-year transfer window in Brazil was quite busy, with several internationally renowned players arriving in the country. Let’s take a look at the major movements during this transfer window.

General Overview of the Transfer Window

The Brazilian winter transfer window was active, with significant arrivals and departures.

As mentioned in our article earlier this year, the financial strength of some Brazilian teams is noteworthy. Once primarily known for exporting players, the market now shows signs of considerable competitiveness.

This is evident in the weighty signings made by certain clubs, as they invest in players and offer higher salaries than some European markets.

As a result, the football level in Brazil is expected to rise even further. Let’s see the highlights:

América Mineiro

Coelho had a positive balance in this transfer window, managing to strengthen its squad without significant expenses.

Signings:

• Everaldo, right winger, loaned at no cost from Corinthians.
• Renato Kayzer, center-forward, loaned from Fortaleza until the end of the season.
• Pedrinho, left winger, loaned until the end of the season from Lokomotiv Moscow (RUS).
• Paulinho Bóia, left winger, loaned until the end of the season from Metalist (UKR).

Departures:

• Artur, right-back, a valuable talent from Coelho’s youth academy, sold to Bayer Leverkusen for €7 million.

Atlético-MG

Galo used the window to raise funds, being one of the few teams in the Brazilian Championship with a surplus in their transactions.

Signings:

• Paulinho, forward, permanently signed without cost, with a 3-year contract.

Departures:

• Allan, midfielder, sold to Flamengo for €8.2 million.
• Nathan Silva, center-back, sold to Pumas (MEX) for €3.65 million.
• Dodô, left-back, loaned to Santos at no cost.

Athletico-PR

The Furacão turned to the Argentine market for their acquisitions this window.

Signings:

• Bruno Zapelli, midfielder, bought from Belgrano (ARG) for €4.05 million.
• Lucas Esquivel, left-back, arrives from Unión Santa Fe for €1.9 million.
• Arturo Vidal, midfielder, arrives at no cost after an amicable termination with Flame

Departures:

• David Terans, midfielder, bought by Pachuca (MEX) for €3.35 million.
• Matheus Babi, center-forward, loaned to Goiás until the end of the season.
• Léo Cittadini, midfielder, loaned to Bahia at no cost.

 

Bahia

The Tricolor de Aço aims to stay in the top division, especially after the realization of its SAF. Thus, they went to the market in search of options.

Signings:

• Gilberto, right-back, bought from Benfica (POR) for €2.5 million.
• Rafael Ratão, left winger, bought from Toulouse (FRA) for €2.5 million.
• Camilo Candido, left-back, arrives on a one-year loan from Nacional (URU), for €318 thousand.
• Léo Cittadini, midfielder, loaned from Athletico Paranaense at no cost.

Image: BahiaOfficial Release.

Botafogo:

The current leader of the Brasileirão further strengthened its squad and did not have significant departures affecting the team’s performance.

Signings:

• Lucas Fernandes, midfielder, permanently acquired from Portimonense (POR) for €4 million.
• Mateo Ponte, right-back, arrives from Danubio (URU) for €1.8 million.
• Valentín Adamo, center-forward, bought from Progreso (URU) for €280 thousand.

Departures:

• Oyama, midfielder, loaned to Goiás.

 

Bragantino:

Signings:

• Mateus Gonçalves, right winger, arrives on loan from Flamengo until the end of the year.

Departures:

• Douglas Mendes, center-back, sold for €2 million to Red Bull Salzburg.
• Kevin Lomonaco, center-back, involved in the Operation Penalidade Máxima, loaned to Tigre (ARG).

 

Corinthians:

The Timão, which has been showing a surprising improvement at the end of this first half of the season, made some targeted signings but lost its main player of the season.

 

Signings:

• Lucas Veríssimo, center-back, arrives on loan from Benfica (POR) for one year, with a payment of €1 million.
• Matías Rojas, midfielder, arrives at no cost after the end of his contract with Racing (ARG).

Departures:

• Luan, midfielder, leaves Corinthians and terminates his contract to join Grêmio.
• Chrystian Barletta, midfielder, did not establish himself at Corinthians and was bought by Ceará for €1.25 million.
• Du Queiroz, midfielder, reinforces Zenit (RUS) as agreed in the Yuri Alberto purchase.

Image: Corinthians Official Release

Coritiba:

Signings:

• Sebastián Goméz, midfielder, bought for €820 thousand from Atlético Nacional (COL).
• Edu, center-forward, arrives from Cruzeiro for €115 thousand.
• Lucas Barbosa, right winger, arrives from Santos at no cost.
• Fransérgio, midfielder, loaned from Bordeaux (FRA) with a contract until the end of 2026.

Departures:

• Alef Manga, left winger, involved in Operation Penalidade Máxima, was loaned to Pafos (CYP).

 

Cruzeiro:

The Cabuloso chose to maintain fiscal responsibility and did not make any big moves in this transfer window, acquiring several players on loan or at no cost.

Departures:

• Arthur Gomes, left winger, arrives from Sporting (POR) for €3 million.
• Rafael Elias, center-forward, arrives from Palmeiras at no cost.
• Lucas Silva, midfielder, arrives from Grêmio at no cost.
• Matheus Pereira, midfielder, arrives on loan from Al-Hilal (SAU).
• Edu, forward, sold to Coritiba for €115 thousand.

Cuiabá:

Signings:

• Clayson, left winger, a familiar face to the fans, arrives at no cost after the end of his contract with V-V Nagasaki (JAP).

 

Flamengo:

Once again, Clube da Gávea was voracious in the market and made some targeted and good signings.

Signings:

• Luiz Araújo, right winger, arrives from Atlanta (USA) for €9 million.
• Allan, midfielder, bought from Atlético Mineiro for €8.2 million.

Departures:

• Mateusão, center-forward, sold to Shabab Al-Ahli (UAE) for €2 million.
• Gustavo Henrique, center-back, definitively sold to Fenerbahçe (TUR) for €1.4 million.
• Matheus Gonçalves, left winger, loaned to Red Bull Bragantino until the end of the season.
• Marinho, right winger, loaned at no cost to Fortaleza.
• Arturo Vidal, midfielder, loaned at no cost to Athletico Paranaense.
• Matheus França, midfielder, sold to Crystal Palace for €20 million fixed, with the possibility of an additional €5 million in bonuses based on performance.

 

Fluminense:

Tricolor das Laranjeiras did not make big moves in this window, only targeted signings with low or no cost.

Signings:

• Leonardo Fernandéz, midfielder, loaned from Toluca (MEX) for one year for €900 thousand.
• Marlon, center-back, arrives on loan from Shaktar Donetsk (UKR), having played for Monza (ITA) last season.
• Daniel, midfielder, arrives from Bahia at no cost.

 

Fortaleza:

Signings:

• Marinho, right winger, terminated his contract with Flamengo and joins Leão do Pici with a contract until the end of 2025.
• Imanol Machuca, right winger, bought from Unión Santa Fé (ARG) for €2.27 million. Contract until Dec/2027.
• Tobias Figueiredo, center-back, arrives at no cost from Hull City (ENG).
• Gonzalo Escobar, left-back, arrives at no cost from UD Ibiza (ESP).
• Pedro Augusto, midfielder, arrives at no cost from Tondela (POR).

Departures:

• Moisés, left winger, sold to Cruz Azul (MEX) for €4.54 million.
• Renato Kayzer, center-forward, loaned until the end of the season to América Mineiro.

Goiás

Signings:

• Matheus Babi, center-forward, loaned from Athletico Paranaense until the end of the season.
• Oyama, midfielder, loaned from Botafogo.
• Raphael Guzzo, midfielder, loaned at no cost from Vizela (POR).

 

Grêmio:

Tricolor Gaúcho, just like at the beginning of the year, made significant signings. Renato Gaúcho and his team aim to continue their excellent season. Besides the signings, they did not lose any key players in this window.

 

Signings:

• Luan, midfielder, loaned at no cost from Corinthians.
• João Pedro, center-forward, arrives on a one-year loan from Fenerbahçe (TUR).
• Juan Iturbe, left winger, signs with Grêmio until the end of 2024 after the end of his contract with Aris Saloniki (GRE).
• Bruno Alves, center-back, permanently and at no cost.

Departures:

• Vina, midfielder, at the end of his loan contract, did not renew and joined Al-Hazem SC (SAU).
• Diego Souza, center-forward, at 38 years old, returned to Sport Recife at no cost.
• Lucas Silva, midfielder, loaned to Cruzeiro at no cost.

 

Internacional:

The Colorado was one of the teams with the best performance in this transfer window, acquiring top-level players, even some with World Cup experience, and also making money with some sales that won’t have a significant impact on the team’s performance.

Signings:

• Enner Valencia, center-forward, signed a 3-year contract with Internacional after the end of his contract with Fenerbahçe (TUR).
• Rochet, goalkeeper, bought from Nacional (URU) for €1.45 million with a contract until the end of 2026.
• Bruno Henrique, midfielder, signed a contract until the end of 2025 after not renewing with Al-Ittihad (SAU).
• Charles Aránguiz, midfielder, signed a 2-year contract after not renewing with Bayer Leverkusen (GER).

Departures:

• Moisés, left-back, sold to CSKA Moscow (RUS) for €2.3 million.
• Baralhas, midfielder, sold to Atlético Goianiense for €370 thousand.
• Alemão, center-forward, bought by Grupo Pachuca for U$ 3.2 million and loaned to Oviedo (ESP).
• Mário Fernandes, right-back, didn’t adapt to the return to Brazil and returns to Russia to reinforce Zenit (RUS).

Image: TNT Sports

Palmeiras:

The club’s board is leaving the fans anxious.

Despite their financial power, the president, Leila Pereira, did not make any moves in this window, and there were no recorded incoming or outgoing players. The squad remains the same.

Santos:

Santos is going through a tough phase. The reinforcements acquired at the beginning of the season did not have the expected effect. As a result, the team was eliminated from all competitions, and they only have the Campeonato Brasileiro to play for, where they are strongly fighting against relegation.

This window was an opportunity for the new coach, Paulo Turra, to sign players with the characteristics he deems necessary.

Signings:

• João Basso, center-back, bought from Arouca (POR) for €2.5 million.
• Dodô, left-back, released by Atlético Mineiro.
• Soteldo, left winger, bought from Tigres (MEX) for $4 million – despite the investment, the player was sidelined due to disciplinary issues by Paulo Turra.
• Julio Furch, center-forward, Argentine player released by Atlas (MEX).
• Jean Lucas, midfielder, loaned from Monaco (FRA), signed a 4-year contract.
• Diego Pituca, midfielder, signed a pre-contract and secured his return, but only in 2024.
• Nonato, midfielder, arrives on a one-year loan from Ludogorets (BUL).

Departures:

• Ângelo, right winger – the young talent was sold to Chelsea for €15 million and played a key role in the mentioned acquisitions above.
• Lucas Barbosa, right winger, loaned to Coritiba.
• Ivonei, midfielder, loaned to Botafogo-SP.
• Vinícius Balieiro, midfielder, loaned to Ituano.

São Paulo:

Tricolor do Morumbi was undoubtedly the club that surprised the most in this transfer window. They did extremely well in the market and made heavyweight signings, capable of raising the team’s level even further, as they are currently in great form.

Signings:

• James Rodriguez, midfielder, signed until June 2025 after the end of his contract with Olympiacos (GRE).
• Lucas Moura, midfielder, signed a contract until the end of the season.
• Erick, right winger, signed a pre-contract and will arrive in 2024 with a 4-year contract.

Image: São Paulo F.C Official Release

Vasco da Gama

The Giant of the Colina is also one of the few teams with a surplus in this transfer window.

Despite that, they did not hesitate to reinforce their team, even though some of the reinforcements might not match the need for Vasco to show a recovery, as they currently occupy the last position in the Brasileirão, with only 9 points, two rounds before the end of the first half of the season.

 

Signings:

• Paulinho Paula, midfielder, signed until the end of 2025, coming from Al-Shabab (SAU), for €1.2 million.
• Pablo Vegetti, center-forward, who was the top scorer of the Argentine Championship, arrives from Belgrano (ARG) for €1 million.
• Gary Medel, midfielder, arrives at Vasco at no cost after the end of his contract with Bologna (ITA).
• Praxedes, midfielder, comes on loan from Red Bull Bragantino at no cost, until the end of the season.
• Maicon, center-back, arrives on loan until the end of the season, loaned at no cost from Santos.

Departures:

• Pedro Raul, center-forward, a high-profile signing from Vasco in the previous window, didn’t establish himself and was sold to Toluca (MEX) for €4.5 million.
• Eguinaldo, center-forward, sold to Shaktar Donetsk (UKR) for €3.5 million.

What to expect?

The mid-season transfer window is always different from the first one, as clubs have had the opportunity to assess which signings have been effective and which ones have not. Some departures have been felt more than others.

This window also highlights the desperation of some clubs, who were hoping for better performances up to this point, but used this opportunity to correct their mistakes and make up for lost time.

On the positive side, São Paulo’s performance in the market stands out, as they acquired internationally recognized players capable of delivering high-level football, especially in a team that is well-coordinated and having a good season.

Another team that reinforced very well was Internacional, acquiring experienced players with World Cup-level experience, such as Enner Valencia and Charles Aranguiz, especially considering the need for the Colorado team to improve on their first-semester performance.

Positive points also go to Santos, Grêmio, Flamengo, and Bahia.

On the other hand, Palmeiras and Vasco face negative aspects.

Palmeiras, despite its financial power, did not make any purchases. The technical quality of Verdão’s squad is well-known, but a breath of fresh air is always welcome, especially considering the busy schedule of Brazilian teams.

Vasco da Gama finds itself in a precarious situation in the Brasileirão, and even with the support of 777, there are no signs of significant improvement. The team acquired older players who do not demonstrate the same capacity to perform as they did in the past.

Therefore, only time will tell who will come out successful from this transfer window, as mere names do not constitute a successful signing; it is what they present on the field that matters.

And for you? Who made the best signings? Who will miss the sold players the most? Comment!

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Written by Vitor F L Miller.