Exclusive: Internacional wins the race for Raykkonen
Raykkonen’s contract runs until January 31st, and Colorado has the option to buy him.
While navigating the transfer market to strengthen its squad for 2026 and working on renewing some contracts , Internacional has gained competition for striker Raykkonen, as exclusively reported by Lance !. The 17-year-old, who is of interest to Brazilian and foreign clubs, was loaned to Colorado to reinforce the under-17 team, was used in the professional squad, and has a contract until January 31st. Internacional has a preference for the purchase option and has signaled positively in that regard.
The center forward is one of the players who will participate in the first rounds of the Campeonato Gaúcho, which starts on the weekend of January 10 and 11. He has even been training since Saturday (27) at CT Morada dos Quero-Queros, in Alvorada.
Inter wins the battle for Raykkonen
Brought to the Celeiro de Ases (Youth Academy) to reinforce the under-17 team in February of this year, Raykkonen quickly stood out and caught the attention of the then-professional coach Roger Machado. Called up to train at a time when several strikers were injured, he ended up being selected and made his debut for the first team in the match against Maracanã, in the third phase of the Copa do Brasil, in April.
In his very first appearance, he caught attention by scoring a goal that was wrongly disallowed. His performances for the youth teams had already sparked interest from other clubs. According to reports, the center forward is being targeted by Flamengo, Grêmio, and Santos in Brazil, as well as Newcastle and Leeds in England, Porto in Portugal, and Saint-Étienne in France.
Colorado has preference.
Since the contract includes a purchase option clause, Inter has preference over Goiás, the team that developed the striker. According to people close to him, the youngster has expressed a desire to remain at Beira-Rio, where he should get opportunities at the start of the season.
Behind the scenes, the Internacional management has signaled positively towards acquiring the player’s federative rights, which should happen after the new year. According to the Transfermarkt website, the player’s transfer fee is estimated at 250,000 euros, or R$ 1.64 million. However, sources close to the player assure that the value is higher.
