Alisson says he had a deal signed with Corinthians, opens up on failed move | OneFootball

One of the negotiations that drew the most attention involving Corinthians in the last transfer window was the attempt to sign midfielder Alisson, who was then a São Paulo player. Although talks progressed and an agreement seemed close, the deal ultimately was not finalized. Later, the midfielder completed his transfer to Fluminense and commented on the behind-the-scenes details of the situation.

During his presentation at the Rio de Janeiro club, the player revealed that there was a deal in place with Corinthians and that even his agent was willing to cover the loan fee to São Paulo. Still, the deal did not go through, despite his close relationship with coach Dorival Júnior.

Photo: Fluminense/Disclosure

“Look, unfortunately (it didn’t work out), it was a negotiation involving someone who has a special fondness for me, Dorival, along with his staff. We already had the agreement signed by both parties. Unfortunately, we don’t know the reason, there’s a lot of talk about payments and everything, but my agent was also willing, at the time, to make the payment. But that’s football, life goes on. I have a privilege, a very big opportunity again in my career now, which is to wear the Fluminense shirt,” he said during his presentation interview at the Rio club.

During the period when talks were ongoing, Dorival even publicly praised the player in press conferences. At the time, the coach detailed how he envisioned him fitting into Corinthians’ tactical scheme. Shortly after, however, the coach himself confirmed the end of negotiations.

Corinthians and São Paulo had reached an understanding on the terms of the deal. The club from Parque São Jorge would pay R$ 1.5 million for the player’s loan, with R$ 1 million upfront and the remaining R$ 500,000 scheduled for the second half of 2026.

If they chose to buy the player at the end of the loan, Corinthians would still have to pay 2.5 million euros (about R$ 15.5 million at the current exchange rate). The agreement also included a bonus of 250,000 euros (approximately R$ 1.5 million) if Alisson reached 25 matches with at least 45 minutes played in each. In addition, there was a penalty clause of R$ 2 million if the midfielder was used in a Majestoso (match between Corinthians and São Paulo).

Another factor weighing in was the impossibility of registering the player for the Campeonato Paulista, since he was already registered by São Paulo in the competition. Given this set of factors, Corinthians chose to back out of the negotiations. According to football executive Marcelo Paz, the decision was not related to a lack of funds, even with the club’s debt nearing R$ 2.8 billion.

Although Alisson was at the Dr. Joaquim Grava Training Center during the negotiations, the Corinthians board decided to prioritize other financial obligations at that time. Among them was the payment of installments to Toluca, from Mexico, for the signing of Pedro Raul in 2024.

Additionally, the club is also trying to resolve the outstanding issue with Talleres, from Argentina, related to the transfer of Rodrigo Garro. The debt is around R$ 32 million and could result in a new transfer ban. Talks with the Argentine club have been frequent and were described as advanced by Talleres president Andrés Fassi.

Recently, Corinthians also made the first quarterly payment for the Neo Química Arena, amounting to approximately R$ 28 million. At the same time, the club is preparing to start payments under the Centralized Execution Regime (RCE). The first installment, scheduled for March, corresponds to 4% of Corinthians’ total revenue in February, estimated at around R$ 2.3 million.

In April, the board will also have to pay another installment of the agreement made with the National Chamber of Dispute Resolution (CNRD). The debt exceeds R$ 76 million, and the installment is around R$ 7 million. If this commitment is not met, the club could face another transfer ban at the national level.

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.