Chelsea gives positive signal for loan, and Flamengo forwards signing of Kenedy | Venetian Column

Kennedyreproduction

Posted 13/08/2021 23:17 | Updated 08/13/2021 23:59

Flamengo is close to agreeing the signing of Kenedy, from Chelsea. After a long negotiation, the English team agreed to lend the 25-year-old striker to Rubro-Negro for 12 months, with a call option valued at 10 million euros, around R$ 60 million, and gave a positive signal for the transaction go forward. The expectation of the board of directors in Rio and the people involved is that the operation is completed this weekend.

Flamengo’s interest in Kenedy started back in May, when the striker, who was in Brazil, had lunch with Marcos Braz. Since then, the board has been trying to get the player, who, at first, did not want to return to Brazilian football. However, after many conversations with their representatives and the red-black leadership, the player understood that going on loan to the Rio team could be a good path in his career.

After Kenedy’s endorsement, Flamengo left for the second stage: convincing Chelsea to release the striker on loan. The English team, in the first conversations, made it clear that the priority was to negotiate the player, who is not in the technical committee’s plans, in a definitive way. That is, a sale.

Rubro-Negro, with patience and with the help of Giuliano Bertolucci, one of the main businessmen in the world of football and who spoke directly with Chelsea, was gradually convincing the English team. Bruno Spindel and Marcos Braz traveled to Europe, but were unable to land in England, due to restrictions by Covid-19.

This week, after Chelsea confirmed the hiring of center forward Lukaku with Inter Milan, the talks heated up again and, in the last hours, Flamengo received information, through Giuliano Bertolucci, that the English team agreed to give Kenedy on loan. Rubro-Negro, however, will assume the athlete’s salary in full during the 12-month contract.

Kenedy arrived at Chelsea in the 2015/2016 season, when he was signed with Fluminense for 10 million dollars, about R$ 31 million at the time. But since he arrived at the Blues, the striker has not established himself and has played for some clubs on loan: Watford, Newscastle, Getafe and, finally, Granada, the Spanish team he defended last season.

For Granada, Kenedy played 44 games and scored eight goals, being one of the main players of the Spanish team, which tried a new loan from the striker, but Chelsea did not accept. His link with the English team lasts until June 2024.

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