The termination of the forward’s contract with the club was published in the CBF"s Daily Information Bulletin (IDB) this Friday. However, the player took the decision two days before the news was released to the public.
On Thursday, coach Fernando Diniz and soccer executive Raí pointed out that Pato"s decision to end his contract with São Paulo came from the player himself.
Over the past few weeks, Internacional have shown interest in getting Pato.
With the 30-year-old now out of Morumbi, Inter have the clear to negotiate with the player ahead of a potential transfer in the coming weeks.
However, there was more to the reason behind the contract termination. São Paulo and Pato decided to terminate the contract valid until 2022 after disagreement on both sides. Neither the club nor the player were happy about the current situation.
Hoje se encerra mais um ciclo importante da minha carreira.
Gostaria de agradecer ao @SaoPauloFC e toda torcida pelo apoio e confiança nesses 17 meses de trabalho, com muita dedicação, entrega e profissionalismo! pic.twitter.com/4CIsbo1SpB— PATO (@Pato) August 21, 2020
Regardless of that, Pato thanked the club for the honor of wearing their jersey.
In the background, São Paulo points out that an agreement was made with Pato to settle the amounts owed to the player that were not paid during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the club, this payment was supposed to be made in installments and there will be no other debt with the attacker.
Also according to information from São Paulo, Pato will give up what he has to receive in the contract going forward. The club estimates to stop spending an amount of approximately R $ 35 million, if the entire agreement is counted by 2022.
Pato becomes a free agent on the market and is now able to negotiate with other clubs interested in his services.
