Rueda has ‘trump card’ in Santos negotiation with PSG owner

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Santos took a step behind the scenes that few would believe. This week, GE published that Peixe is negotiating with Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), which is owned by Nasser Al-Khelaifi, ‘boss’ also at Paris Saint-Germain, a French club that has stars like Neymar, Messi and Mbappé in your roster. Negotiations for an investment continue, and President Andrés Rueda has an ‘ace up his sleeve’ to achieve success in the talks.

According to Diário do Peixe, a member of the Santos Management Committee can be ‘decisive’ for the conversations. This is Renato Hagopian, who is the Regional Manager of Qatar Airways, the QSI Group airline in Latin America, a position he has held since 2020. The company even sponsors PSG, occupying the master space of the Parisian club’s shirt.

Santos’ adviser has been participating in the meetings between Peixe and QSI, helping in the continuation of the conversations. Hagopian joined Qatar Airways in 2010 as Sales Manager. He then assumed the position of National Manager and, finally, Regional Manager, leading the company in South America. In addition, he is known as the company’s ‘0001’ employee, being the first one hired when the airline arrived in Brazil.

Another important person in the process has been Neymar’s father, who met with Santos’ board of directors and even with Hagopian himself to discuss the next steps. According to French newspapers, QSI is interested in expanding its investments in football in other parts of the world and seeks guarantees from Santos on how the money will be invested if it is actually contributed to Santos coffers.