The plot of the Kaio Jorge drama thickens. Just as Juventus were closing in on adding him on a free in January, Santos say that his contract actually expires in 2023. They state that the Brazilian federation allowed him to sign a five-year contract in 2018 even if he was underage.
Santos stakeholder Sergio Canozzi explained to Sky Sport: “We raised the player and took care of the costs to make him grow. His deal with up is up in 2023. We are in talks with multiple clubs and we are waiting for the right offers.”
“We do not want to obstruct his departure, but we want adequate bids. Marcelo Galan is our delegate in Italy. We talked with Juventus and their director Federico Cherubini. Benfica made a proposal, but his agent turned it down. They might improve it, but they are having some legal troubles. Therefore, Santos prefer working with the Serie A teams, and the player desires to go there.”
“I have had no contacts with Milan, and I do not know if Marcelo has. Monaco are interested, but they have yet to come forward. Kaio’s price tag for European sides is €20/25M. We would have already sold him at that fee if his agent did not suggest weird things. It would be hard to reach that sum now. Santos would consider €15M offers.”
Juventus have been in touch mostly with his entourage, which indicated that his deal is up at the end of 2021. A legal battle might ensue given the murky situation, putting the deal in jeopardy.