Brazilian media sources reported that young striker Marcos Leonardo, a player for Saudi Al-Hilal, has given preliminary approval to start negotiations with Flamengo for a return to the Brazilian league during the current summer transfer window.

This comes after Italian coach Simone Inzaghi decided to exclude him from Al-Hilal's roster along with Serbian Aleksandar Mitrović, which has left the Brazilian striker's future open to several possibilities in the transfer market.

According to the Brazilian network "O Dia", Flamengo sees Leonardo as an ideal option to strengthen their attack, while discussions are still ongoing regarding the nature of the deal, whether it will be a permanent transfer or a one-season loan.

Interest is not limited to Flamengo alone, as other Brazilian clubs such as Palmeiras and São Paulo have also entered the competition, while Real Betis from Spain is closely monitoring the situation in anticipation of a potential loan acquisition.

Al-Hilal signed Leonardo in the summer of 2024 from Santos after his remarkable performance in the Brazilian league, scoring over 40 goals, but he faced difficulties in finding a starting position due to the presence of prominent attacking names, most notably Neymar and Malcom.

Despite participating in several matches last season and scoring impactful goals in the league and cup, the limited space in the foreign player roster and his exceeding the age of 23 led the coaching staff to decide to exclude him from the current lineup.

Al-Hilal is preparing to continue its journey in the Roshen League with a match against Al-Qadisiyah on September 13, while Leonardo's future remains uncertain between Riyadh and Rio de Janeiro, awaiting a final decision in the coming days.