Aston Villa The pursuit of Emerson Royal is shaping up to be one of the more interesting transfer stories this week. There are fresh claims coming out of Brazil that the deal may be even closer than just hours ago.
The former Tottenham Hotspur defender has already generated a mixed reaction among English supporters following reports of Villa's interest.
While his stint in North London is hard to forget, the 27-year-old has found his footing again since returning to Brazil. Now he finds himself at the center of a conversation that seems to be intensifying.
Earlier this week, we covered Aston Villa submitted an offer of €9m (£7.7m) For the Flamengo right-back.
Journalist Bruno Lemos later said Flamengo rejected Villa's opening offerHowever negotiations between the clubs continued. At the time, this showed that the Brazilian side were firm on their assessment.
However, new information points to a different picture.
The deal is now said to be close
Speaking about the talks, the journalist Wayne Casagrande Explained that the situation is now completely balanced. It can progress rapidly.
Flamengo are seriously considering the offer and the transfer could be completed "at any time".
The journalist reported that the offer is worth around R$55m, approximately €9.4m (£8.1m). He also argued that there are several reasons why Flamengo could ultimately decide to move on.
One of them is financial. Casagrande said that Flamengo had paid more than that amount when signing Emerson Royal. He admitted that the defender has not performed at the expected level.
With the club needing to generate transfer income, the journalist suggested that a sale could represent a practical solution for all parties.
Most importantly, based on the information they have received from inside Flamengo, the chances of Emerson Royal being sold are "good".
He also said that talks have progressed positively in recent days. The proposal is being carefully analyzed by Flamengo's hierarchy and there is growing optimism that an agreement can be reached.
According to those reports, there is a feeling inside the club that a deal is now closer than it is.
Why are Flamengo still hesitating?
This does not mean that everyone inside Flamengo is confident. Journalist pablo rua have provided insight into why the club is reluctant to cancel the transfer immediately.
According to Rua, Emerson Royal has the confidence of manager Leonardo Jardim. Additionally, he has become one of the coach's favorite players for cup competitions.
The manager is also keen to maintain two viable options for each position in the team. This complicates any decision to sell.
There is one more issue. Rua reports Flamengo does not feel the current offer is particularly attractive from a financial perspective as it is similar to the amount paid to first sign Emerson Royal.
There will be technical difficulties in selling it also. Young Daniel Sales is still considered to be in a transitional stage between academy football and regular first-team participation.
These concerns are in line with previous reports, leading Flamengo to fear that any immediate replacement could represent a drop in quality.
Aston Villa look to take the lead
Shortly after, there were reports of Aston Villa submitting an offer to have the claims rejected. After that, there were increasing suggestions that the transfer could actually be completed very soon.
What seems clear is that Aston Villa have not gone away.
Despite Flamengo's concerns over squad depth, Leonardo Jardim's preference to retain the player and the challenge of finding a replacement, several well-connected Brazilian journalists now believe the deal is moving in the right direction.
For a player who many of us expected would never be linked with a Premier League return, Emerson Royle suddenly looks very close to it.
