Botafogo completed on Tuesday the sale of Uruguayan midfielder Santi Rodríguez to Columbus Crew, of the American MLS. The clubs are trying to keep the negotiation values under wraps, and the player travels at night to the United States. The club is also close to announcing the signing of defender Arthur Chaves.
Santi Rodríguez arrived at Botafogo in February 2025, acquired from New York City for 15 million dollars fixed, equivalent to R$ 85.6 million at the exchange rate at the time, plus 2 million dollars in objectives. He was seen as successor to Thiago Almada, but was unable to repeat the success at the black-and-white club.
In total for Botafogo, Rodríguez played 58 games, scoring five goals and providing six assists. This season, the Uruguayan has only scored against Bangu, in the Carioca Championship, and has not started a match as a starter since the victory over Caracas, on May 27, in the Copa Sul-Americana. Recently, the player complained about entering the field in the final minutes of a victory.
