It's being reported by numerous Brazilian outlets that Sao Paolo and Villarreal have reached an agreement for the transfer of Nilmar to the Brazilian side. An investment fund will pay Villarreal €8 million, and young midfielder Casemiro becomes a member of the Yellow Submarine.

We caution the deal is not official, but it's believed the clubs have agreed and the deal is only awaiting agreement between Nilmar and Sao Paolo, which is not expected to be a problem. (In fact, I am seeing a tweet from a Sao Paolo fan that Nilmar has signed a deal for three seasons, is expected to arrive on Wednesday for his physical tests and may play in their game on Sunday)

UPDATE (1/23 6:30 AM EST): Late last night it was reported Sao Paolo has refused to include Casemiro, whom they feel is worth more than the €10m. Luis Fabiano had also been mentioned but never seriously, and we've heard nothing more about Wellington. So apparently the deal is cash-only; we're not sure if it's more than €8m, or how the deal is structured. According to EPM Villarreal is carefully reviewing the payment guarantees to make sure they are sufficient. If we hear anything else, we'll provide a new update.