Flamengo vice president Marco Braz has declared that 18-year-old Toon target Matheus Franca is ‘not for sale’ following a series of bids from Newcastle.
Last week, Fabrizio Romano revealed that we submitted a €16m bid for the versatile attacker, with reports in Brazil also suggesting we tried and failed with €13m and €14m proposals.
It had been claimed the Série A side would be prepared to do business if we upped our offer to €20m and included a 50% sell-on clause in that deal, but Braz seems adamant the teenage sensation will not be leaving over the final few days of the window.
Here’s what Flamengo’s vice president has told the Brazilian media when asked about January interest from Newcastle:
“We do not put Matheus Franca up for sale,”
“He’s not for sale.
“We are not interested in negotiating for Matheus Franca at this moment.”
With teammate Joao Gomes on the verge of sealing a €17m to Wolves, it’s easy to see why the South American giants are so reluctant to losing Franca.
He appears to be one for the future and the latest gem on Dan Ashworth’s wishlist, but it remains to be seen if we’ll come forward with a fourth bid over the final few days of the January window.
