They had to relocate outside Rio for the duration of this year’s Olympics. Now Flamengo may be considering a permanent move away from the stadium, if they decide to build their own ground.

Flamengo, like several other major clubs from Rio de Janeiro, haven’t had an easy time in 2016. Rio de Janeiro’s main sports stadia were transferred to the IOC for 2016 Olympics, forcing teams to play outside the city. Rubro-Negro travelled to Brasilia, Natal and Cariacica, among other venues.

The long term goals has been to take over at the famous Maracanã, though. Currently Flamengo are just one of the tenants, leasing the ground for games from another private entity, Complexo Maracanã Entretenimento.

Conditions of such leases were criticized in the past by Maracanã’s tenants and Flamengo hope for a better stake in the stadium. An opening is coming up because the current operator wants to terminate the agreement and leave the stadium to a different party. This is where Flamengo might see their chance, though it's understood that local rivals Fluminanse are also hopeful of becoming the managers.

However, somewhat unexpectedly, the club confirmed a new possibility surfaced. Flamengo are considering a private stadium of their own. The team was approached by a private investor willing to swap Flamengo’s old headquarters (Edificio Hilton Santos in central Rio de Janeiro) for a plot of 90,000 m² in western Rio, suitable for a new stadium.

Flamengo’s vice-president Alexandre Wrobel confirmed such proposal has been made and is currently being analysed. At the same time he stressed the club are still waiting for the outcome of their negotiations regarding Maracanã, which remains the preferred solution.