In what has been a back and forth case over the past few weeks, there remains some resistance from clubs regarding the release of their players for the Olympic Games. This comes after Flamengo already aired their opinion on the matter weeks ago.
Rodrigo Caetano, the Atlético-MG football director, was the one who tried to speak at the Cidade do Galo news conference on Tuesday. The manager spoke for over half an hour about the club’s poor on-field performance, its difficult financial circumstances, and other matters.
One of them is Guilherme Arana. The full-back has been the subject of ongoing negotiations with the CBF since his call-up for the Olympic Games in Tokyo at the end of July.
It was reported on Tuesday that Atlético will not prohibit Arana from competing in the Olympics. The publication date, on the other hand, is a stumbling block. Galo intends to keep the full-back until the Libertadores match against Boca Juniors on July 13, which is a week before the Seleçao’s debut. Athletes who work in Brazil are required to compete on July 8th, according to the CBF schedule.
Officially, Rooster continues to oppose Arana’s participation in the Games, but the decision has already been made. Even if it was his personal goal, Rodrigo Caetano agreed that blocking the call would be impossible for the club.
Guilherme Arana has been a key player for Atlético this season. Galo has only recently exercised his right to purchase the player’s economic rights for 2.5 million euros (R$ 14.6 million).
Arana, who holds the Olympic squad’s left flank, has also been called up by Tite for the main team. According to reports in the Portuguese press, he was recently approached by Benfica coach Jorge Jesus, who is willing to pay up to 6.5 million euros for the player. Atlético claim they have not received any official proposals.
With the knowledge that they won’t be able to play with Arana in the return match against Boca and the two Copa do Brasil quarter-final matches against Bahia, Atlético is keeping a close eye on the situation of Dodô, who is now on the bench recovering from a muscle injury.
