Nino remains available to return to Brazilian football, but admits the possibility of postponing the attempt to sign the defender for the next transfer window, in the middle of this year.
Verdão has faced resistance from Zenit, from Russia, in releasing the defender at this time. As it treats the player as a priority to strengthen the sector, it should postpone negotiations if they remain in their current state. The Brazilian transfer window will remain open until the beginning of March.
Nino is open to the possibility of joining a Brazilian club. Palmeiras and are the main interested parties. However, negotiations with the player will progress when Zenit accepts the release.
Tricolor Carioca was already working with the unlikelihood of the defender leaving at this time and promises to be a strong competitor to Verdão.
Nino is an old target for Palmeiras. Still at the beginning of December 2025, when Itatiaia revealed that the defender was on the radar, Verdão was looking for alternatives to be able to move forward with reinforcement.
Defense was identified as a sector that needs hiring most urgently. Other athletes were surveyed, such as Igor Júlio, from Brighton, England.
