In an exclusive interview given to Baixada Esporte, from Santa Cecília TV, Santos' president Andrés Rueda has spoken about the future of club's wonderkid Kaio Jorge, who has been recently linked with a move to AC Milan and other European giants, with his contract expiring by the end of the year, which could allow him to sign a pre-contract with any club within a few months.
“Kaio's situation is also complicated. He is three or four months [away] from entering the period in which he can sign a pre-contract with another team and leave for free, leaving nothing for Santos. We have been negotiating for more than a month with players and businessmen to consider. The biggest goal is not to sell, it is not to lose a player that the club has invested, believed in and given free space for free. It is our priority. Once the contract is renewed, we have to see why the player is very targeted in Europe.” stated Rueda.
“Since we took over, we practically started talking. It was a priority issue. At the beginning we felt that there was an ill will towards Santos. Not only in his case. They complained a lot about the way they were treated in other administrations, with broken promises. There was a certain distrust of what would be discussed. Then we showed little by little that we would not promise anything that we could not keep. And it was changing.” he added.
“Today, on the part of businessmen, it is more comfortable. These are frank conversations. I was transparent with them, there is no use sitting at a table knowing that you are losing… I am four months old, no one is silly. And so, money is high. He is four months from having a pass in hand. But showing interest and transparency, explaining everything, ends up generating credibility. I believe very strongly that we will arrive at a common denominator. I have a lot of confidence in that.” continued the president.
