TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Loan
Vancouver Whitecaps FC have loaned midfielder Caio Alexandre to Brazilian Serie A side Fortaleza EC for the remainder of 2022, the club announced Monday.
The 23-year-old originally joined Vancouver in March 2021 from Botafogo in his native Brazil. He signed through the 2024 MLS campaign.
"This move made sense for both Caio and the club," Whitecaps FC sporting director Axel Schuster said in a release. "Caio returns to a league he knows well and his team still has 16 games until the end of the year. After Caio has been unlucky with a few injuries, he now needs to see consistent minutes and we will follow his progress closely."
Alexandre’s time in Vancouver has been limited by injuries, including fractures in his left foot and left hand. He’s recorded one assist across 19 league games (11 starts), notching just 78 minutes played this year in four appearances off the bench.
With the loan, Whitecaps FC’s remaining central midfield corps is highlighted by Andres Cubas, Alessandro Schöpf, Leonard Owusu and Russell Teibert. Alexandre is their fifth first-team player currently out on loan.
Fortaleza EC sit 15th in Brazil’s 20-team top flight. They finished fourth a season ago, qualifying for the Copa Libertadores before falling in the Round of 16 to Argentina’s Estudiantes.
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