Bahia attempted to sign 19-year-old Argentine-Italian midfielder Álvaro Montoro for the 2027 season. The club's plan was to structure a deal around a five-million-dollar debt Botafogo owed to New York City, another club within the City Group network, for the signing of Santi Rodríguez. This debt had previously caused a transfer ban for Botafogo. The situation was altered after a judicial recovery process for Botafogo's SAF lifted the transfer restrictions and provided financial relief. Consequently, Botafogo requested 20 million euros for Montoro. This amount led Bahia to withdraw its interest at the present time, although Montoro remains a target for the future. The discussions occurred directly with Botafogo and did not progress to involving the player. The player's representatives stated that he is expecting offers and gives priority to a move to European football. Botafogo now considers Montoro a strategic player and plans to extend his contract, which currently runs until December 2029. This is a change from earlier in the year, when the club had projected a sale for an amount between 25 and 30 million euros because of financial difficulties. Montoro has 5 caps for Argentina's U20 team, joined Botafogo in June 2025, and has a current Transfermarkt market value of €10.00m. In the 2025/2026 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A season, he has made 19 appearances and provided 3 assists.