Alan Santos, who impressed in the Libertadores Sub-20 with 3 goals, will now play for Benfica in Portugal. Flamengo will maintain 50% of the economic rights of the player for future transfers. This move comes as part of Flamengo's strategy to focus on capturing more mature players from other teams for their base. The club is looking to negotiate young players who are not being used much, with the aim of developing their skills further.
The 19-year-old forward had attracted interest from three European teams and had also played 3 games for Flamengo's professional team in the Carioca this year. With little space in the team, Flamengo's director, Leonardo Jardim, has mentioned that there are 15 or 16 regular players in the team, and the club is now focusing on finding more ready players in other teams to complete the final phase of the under-20 team.
Flamengo's decision to transfer Santos without costs suggests that the club is willing to let go of players who are not being used regularly, in order to focus on developing their youth academy and bringing in more experienced players to strengthen their team.