With Cruzeiro having announced the signing of Diego Souza on Friday, Santos have switched their attention to signing A Raposa’s Argentine No. 10 Walter Montillo.
Montillo, 28, has long been linked with a move away from Cruzeiro, but the Belo Horizonte side have previously held firm over selling the player.
Now, with Diego Souza secured ahead of 2013 and fellow Argentine Alejandro Martinuccio likely to extend, it is believed that the club would settle for a fee of around €10 million, or a lesser fee plus players.
It is likely, though, that a deal will be struck which will see Cruzeiro retain a percentage of the player’s economic rights with a view to a future sale, whilst Santos will seek the help of sponsor Banco BMG, who already own 20% of the player’s rights, in the negotiation.
“It is not impossible. He is in Brazil but has a contract with Cruzeiro,” Santos manager Muricy Ramalho told a press conference.
“He is a great player, but it’s not impossible given what we see in the market.”
Santos are also believed to be close to securing Ponte Preta box-to-box midfielder Renê Junior on a one-year loan from parent club Tombense-MG.
