Shakhtar Donetsk are in negotiations with Fluminense over the departure of Shakhtar forward Wellington Nem.
The two clubs faced each other at the Florida Cup in Orlando on January 17, and both teams are holding their training camps in Florida as well. It appears that the clubs have used the close proximity to one another to get a deal done that would see Wellington Nem return to Brazil.
Wellington Nem is a Fluminense product—sold by Fluminense to Shakhtar for €9 million in the summer of 2013—and the Brazilian has been vocal about his desire to return to his boyhood club.
According to ESPN Brazil Wellington Nem has already agreed to personal terms with Fluminense, and has made it clear to Shakhtar’s management and coach Mircea Lucescu that he doesn’t want to move back to Ukraine at the end of the training camp. In fact Wellington Nem’s signing has caused a political rift within the club as some have started to question the ability of Shakhtar’s chief scout Luis Gonçalves, who had been responsible for this transfer.
Fluminense fans on the other hand are eager to welcome Wellington Nem back to the club. Fluminense fans at the Florida Cup matchup between Shakhtar and Fluminense greeted the attacking midfielder enthusiastically, with many fans requesting photos and autographs with the player.
Now it appears that Shakhtar are indeed willing to arrange a transfer of Wellington Nem back to Fluminense. The Brazilians, however, are unable to meet Shakhtar’s financial demands, hence Shakhtar are now willing to agree to a player swap deal, as Mircea Lucescu is interested in signing Fluminense’s 23-year-old forward Marcos Júnior.
Marcos Júnior’s appearance at the Florida Cup against Shakhtar seemed to have left an impression with Lucescu. According to transfermarkt.de Marcos Júnior has a transfer value of €2.5 million, and Shakhtar might therefore seek further compensation in order to see a deal go through.
There is also debate on whether both players will move on a permanent basis or on loan deals, as Shakhtar’s management are reluctant to sign Marcos Júnior on a permanent basis straight away. Hence, both Nem and Júnior could be moving on loan deals until the end of the season, a move that makes sense given the uncertainty that surrounds the future of Shakhtar’s head coach Mircea Lucescu.
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