Rio de Janeiro, Aug 5 (IANS) Brazil midfielder Danilo dos Santos is close to joining Italian Serie A club Atalanta, according to media reports. Danilo is contracted to Botafogo until June 2029 with a release clause reportedly in excess of 30 million euros.
Manchester United, AC Milan and Zenit St Petersburg have also been linked with the 25-year-old.
Danilo has made 43 appearances for Botafogo, scoring 11 goals and providing seven assists, since joining the Rio de Janeiro club from Nottingham Forest in July 2025. He has been capped eight times for Brazil and represented his country at this year’s FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Meanwhile, Botafogo have reached an agreement to sign forward Danilo Pereira on loan from Scotland’s Rangers, the Brazilian club said. The 27-year-old will be tied to Botafogo until June 2027 with an option to buy, the Rio de Janeiro club said in a statement.
Danilo has scored 16 goals in 76 appearances for Rangers since joining the club from Feyenoord in July 2023. He is Botafogo’s sixth signing of Brazil’s current mid-season transfer window, joining Warleson, Gabriel Batista, Paulinho, Lucas Monzon and Domingos Andrade.
Botafogo are currently ninth in the 20-team Brazilian Serie A standings with 26 points from 19 outings.
Earlier, Newcastle United were also in pursuit of Danilo. But the Brazil international had prioritised a move to Tyneside over other options this summer.
Even though the rumours first came out of a small Brazilian outlet and weren’t given much credence, the Magpies have been linked with the 25-year-old for several weeks, and there is starting to be too much smoke to at least consider the possibility of a fire being in place here.
Newcastle learned Danilo’s price, and according to a much more respected Brazilian outlet, UOL, the midfielder and his representatives have made a return to the Premier League their priority during this transfer window after abandoning hopes of a move to Palmeiras.
UOL stated that Danilo believed a return to England would give him the best opportunity to remain in Brazil’s plans under Carlo Ancelotti while also allowing him to relaunch his Premier League career following his previous spell at Nottingham Forest.
Botafogo are expected to receive a stronger offer from Europe than the proposal previously made by Palmeiras, which was valued at around £23.5 million. Per Chronicle Live, Botafogo has tagged Danilo with a €29 million (£25 million) figure.
–IANS
bsk/
