Bombshell: Inter sound out Enzo Díaz, offer Dorival target in swap | OneFootball

An old wish of Dorival Júnior is back on São Paulo’s agenda: defensive midfielder Thiago Maia, 29.

According to what AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR has learned, Internacional, the club with which Maia is under contract only until the end of the year, has indicated it would accept negotiating an early release to the Morumbi club in exchange for left-back Enzo Díaz.

Preliminary talks between the clubs have been taking place since the beginning of the week, a source from the top ranks of São Paulo’s football department told the report.

The suggestion to let Thiago Maia go came from the Rio Grande do Sul club itself, which, in search of a left-back, sounded out Enzo Díaz’s situation.

Initially, Colorado asked São Paulo about the possibility of having Enzo Díaz until the end of the year. The Morumbi club is open to it, as long as they pay the Argentine’s salary in full and a permanent purchase clause is established contingent on the achievement of targets.

On Maia’s side, São Paulo tried to negotiate his release with the Rio Grande do Sul club in June, but the deal did not progress after they asked for Arboleda on loan, who had been sidelined at the time and was already in coach Dorival Júnior’s plans.

Since then, with Rui Costa’s departure from São Paulo’s football department, talks to sign a pre-contract have been interrupted. And the Morumbi club even signed Newton as an option for the holding midfield role.

São Paulo had been in contact with Maia’s camp since March, when the midfielder’s name was requested by then-coach Roger Machado. His dismissal changed nothing in the plans, as the player is a protégé of Dorival Júnior. It was the current São Paulo manager who backed him as a starter at Santos and turned him into the rival club’s captain.

Showing signs that he will not renew his contract with Inter, Maia has lost considerable space in the squad. With ten appearances in the Brasileirão, he has not played since May 23, having remained on the bench for three matches since then without being used, while also dealing with a thigh injury.

Internal Friction and Loss of Space

The possibility of negotiating Enzo Díaz comes after a sharp change in his situation within São Paulo’s squad. Although he was in the plans for the 2026 season, the player has lost prestige in recent weeks due to behind-the-scenes friction:

Financial dissatisfaction: The player’s camp lodged internal complaints regarding delays in payments by the club.

Technical decision: After the complaints, the player showed a drop in performance in training sessions at the Barra Funda training ground and was left out by coach Dorival Júnior for all matches after the World Cup.

Overcrowding in the Position and Iago’s Arrival

With the recent signing of Iago — brought in on a free loan from Bahia until the end of December — São Paulo now has three alternatives for the left side of defense: Wendell and Nicolas remain options.

São Paulo’s board stressed that Iago’s arrival was driven by a market opportunity identified by the scouting department, with no direct connection to Enzo Díaz’s impending departure.

Valued on the market at around 2.5 million euros (approximately R$15.5 million), the Argentine had previously attracted interest from Racing and Talleres, both from Argentina, as well as Charlotte FC from the U.S.

Since arriving at Tricolor, the full-back has made 78 appearances, scoring one goal and providing seven assists, with 24 appearances and one assist this season.

Enzo arrived at Tricolor last year on loan from River Plate. At the start of this season, he ended up signing a permanent deal, cleared in a negotiation that culminated in Galoppo’s release.

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