Fluminense began a new moment of planning for the season with the name of Alexander Barboza on the agenda. The Botafogo defender was offered to the club as a possible replacement in the event of Freytes’ departure.
Freytes is one of the names monitored by the international market, with Bologna showing interest. For now, negotiations are still at a standstill.
In this context, Barboza appears as an alternative. With a contract until the end of the season at Botafogo, the defender will be able to sign a pre-agreement from June and has already expressed interest in continuing to play in Rio de Janeiro.
The survey comes after a complicated year for Fluminense. The team started 2025 with high expectations, reaching fourth place in the Club World Cup, but was unable to sustain its performance and ended the season far from competing for titles.
Alexander Barboza’s numbers at Botafogo
- 2 seasons (2024 and 2025)
- 98 games
- 2 goals
- 1 assist
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Flu’s focus on hiring
With Luis Zubeldía in charge, Fluminense is betting on a more consistent restart. To improve performance, the Rio club is betting on the arrival of new players, to give more quality and depth to the team throughout the year.
At the same time, the club is working with the possibility of important losses. While evaluating scenarios and possible arrivals, Fluminense has already secured a strong reinforcement.
Guilherme Arana, formerly of Atlético-MG, signed a four-year contract and arrives as one of the bets to give more strength and hope to the team for next season.
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