The conflict is reaching a new level.
Bitello thinks about moving: political situation and salary influence
Dynamo was very lucky with Bitello: the Muscovites scored 10 out of 10 with this transfer. They took the midfielder from Gremio for 10 million euros, signed a long-term contract (until the summer of 2028) and the footballer it is immediately revealed as such. the leader of the attack of the Muscovites. Bitello is a solid starter for the club, who will be able to compete for medals and even a title in the future. But despite this, rumors appeared in the winter about the possibility of his departure.
Initially it was noted that the midfielder wants to change teams for two reasons. First, it was reported that he was concerned about the political situation between Russia and Ukraine. During the transition to Dynamo, Bitello was confident that the special operation would be completed faster. The agent of the Brazilian Maikel Portela also shares the same version – as he later declared:
Bitello’s departure from Dinamo is possible. When we went to Russia, we didn’t think that the SVO would be delayed. We thought we could play Dynamo in other tournaments.
Secondly, according to some rumors, the footballer, who had established himself as a leader, wanted to improve the terms of the contract. It was noted that the player’s agent approached the club with a request to increase his client’s salary to a level comparable to the income of Zenit’s Brazilian legionnaires.
Botafogo wants to take advantage of the situation, the blue and white hold on
In this context, the Brazilian club Botafogo joined the negotiations. Initially, the management approached Dynamo with an offer of 10 million euros, but the Muscovites rejected it, as this amount did not come close to their needs. At the same time, another Brazilian team was interested in the possibility of a transfer: they had already offered 12 million euros, but they also rejected this offer.
After all, we are talking about the leader of the “blue and white”. According to the latest data, the Muscovites do not want to lose the midfielder for less than 30 million euros. After all, this is the main footballer that Muscovites are counting on. The Brazilians returned to negotiations after the New Year – at the same time they offered Dynamo 13 million euros and began to consider Claudinho’s candidacy. Muscovites were also not satisfied with this option.
It is possible that Botafogo hoped to exploit Bitello’s dissatisfaction, this would help approach the negotiation from a position of strength. But the “blue and white” did not give up and remained calm. This is what Dmitry Gafin, chairman of the club’s board of directors, noted in early December:
Bitello is a player of our club, he has a contract that will last until 2028. We are in a calm situation on this topic. Improved contract terms? There were conversations like that.
Since then there has been no more panic.
They did not come to the Dynamo training camp, the Muscovites are ready to go to court
But the footballer himself decided to go further and did not show up at the Dynamo headquarters when the players returned from vacation. It was noted that the Brazilian was not in the general group for the medical examination. The club’s chief doctor, Alexander Rodionov, said he would join later. The team was supposed to go to a training camp in Qatar on January 13th. It was noted that the midfielder missed the medical examination due to negotiations with Botafogo.
According to the latest data, Dinamo informed the player that they would sue him if he left voluntarily for Botafogo. Bitello will also risk a six-month ban and a fine of $25 million (the latter in the event of unilateral termination of the contract). At the same time, Botafogo is preparing another proposal for the transfer of the midfielder – already the third. Probably, the club expects Dinamo to accept the advanced conditions due to the pressure from the player. But a couple of days earlier an internal source had emerged according to which the “blue and white” were ready to negotiate to improve the terms of Bitello’s contract.
Without attacking midfielders there is no hope of winning medals
The midfielder spent both seasons at a consistently high level: last year he scored eight goals and provided one assist, and in the current season he has already scored one goal and provided eight assists. Dynamo’s attacking play is linked to the skills of the Brazilian attacking midfielder: he is a player who forms the system, part of the attacking force.
The team lacks balance between attack and defense, so it is not possible to build on the breakthrough of the previous season. The club did not strengthen the defense, except for the goalkeeper position, and in this context fell out of the top three. At the moment the blue and white are weaker than the top three teams. Krasnodar became more stable under Musaev and combines Galitsky’s ideas with Ivich’s pragmatism. “Spartak” invests in strengthening and has faith in the coach, “Zenit” is “Zenith”.
Furthermore, Lokomotiv e CSKA. That those and others are able to reach Dynamo in the future and also compete for the top three places. The blue and whites are in no hurry to strengthen problematic positions. And here there is a serious risk of being left without your attacking midfielder.
Now Dinamo is in a dead end. Bitello doesn’t let himself go, he is a protagonist. Furthermore, Botafogo offers little. But the midfielder, apparently, is no longer seen in the Muscovites. If you don’t give it in time, in the spring you can get a demoralized player who will stop making a difference on the field, but his salary will remain the same. Between two evils you must choose the lesser.
