Wolves now have a clear path to complete Jhon Arias’ sale to Palmeiras after Fluminense failed to match the agreed terms before the deadline.
As we covered earlier, Fluminense had until Wednesday night to cover Palmeiras’ proposal, valued at €25m (£21.5m). Now according to Globo Esporte, the Rio de Janeiro club did submit an offer, but it reached only €20m (£17.2m) and was immediately rejected by Wolves.
The report explains that the priority clause included in Arias’ sale only applied if Fluminense were able to exceed the value of a competing Brazilian bid. Unable to reach that level, the club accepted they had hit their financial limit and stepped aside.
With that condition unmet, Wolves are now free to move forward with Palmeiras. The next stage of the process centres on finalising personal terms between the player, his representatives and the São Paulo club.
Globo Esporte add that Arias had initial reservations about returning to Brazil. However, Palmeiras president Leila Pereira has spoken directly with the player to present the club’s project. People close to the situation believe he is now more inclined to accept the move.
Wolves relegation threat playing a part
One factor weighing on the situation is Wolves’ league position. The club sit close to relegation to the Championship. This scenario that could influence both sporting planning and the player’s outlook for the months ahead.
Adding to that, Brazilian journalist Paulo Vinícius Coelho claimed the player feared seeing his wages cut in half. “One important detail is that if – or when – Wolverhampton gets relegated, Arias loses 50% of his salary. According to his contract, going to the second division cuts his salary in half,” he said.
On the other hand, Palmeiras got his finances covered. According to local journalist Jorge Nicola, Arias is set to earn a monthly salary of around €460,000 (£395,000). For comparison, during his time in England, the attacking midfielder earned approximately €295,000 (£250,000) per month.
So Fluminense is now out of the race as Wolves have rejected their counter-offer. That means Palmeiras’ route to completing the deal appears clear, pending agreement with the player.