FC Cincinnati is finalizing a loan to send Alvaro Barreal to Brazilian Serie A club Cruzeiro, sources told Queen City Press on Tuesday afternoon.
The deal would be a loan through December with a purchase option, though it is unclear what the final dollar amount for FCC would be. Velez, where Barreal last played before a transfer to Cincinnati in August of 2020, keeps 25 percent of any sale. Cruzeiro will pay a loan fee, and there is a sell-on percentage included if the purchase option is triggered.
One source said FC Cincinnati will have the option to terminate the loan if another club agrees to a bigger transfer fee. Barreal is expected to travel to Brazil this week to complete medicals and sign the loan agreement, but details are still being finalized, according to sources.
Sources told Queen City Press that Cruzeiro has need for a winger, and the move would allow Barreal a chance to move back to his preferred position while continuing to work on his goal of playing in Europe. He converted to left wingback in 2022.
Barreal had signed an extension last January to add club options for 2024 and 2025, both with salary increases; however, he was expecting a move to Europe this winter as offers were coming in last summer amid FCC's run for the Supporters' Shield. No such transfer transpired during a soft European market, but sources said Barreal was ready for a change of scenery.
Cruzeiro had been in the mix before Barreal reported to Clearwater, Fla., for preseason Feb. 9 -- a week before the team's preseason finale.
FC Cincinnati, meanwhile, has been finalizing a deal to acquire Luca Orellano on loan from Vasco da Gama with a reported $3 million purchase option. Orellano always was planned to be Barreal’s replacement, but initially the belief was that he would transition to the right wingback position until Barreal eventually would be sold in the summer.
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