Corinthians offer player swap for Alisson, São Paulo want midfielder | OneFootball

Humility is part of the process, and we at AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR are willing to admit when we’re wrong and are now apologizing for the mocking tone we used when addressing Corinthians’ potential interest in midfielder Alisson.

But yes, what Corinthians fan pages had predicted actually happened. On the morning of this Wednesday (7th), the team from the east side approached São Paulo, willing to propose a player swap to sign Alisson, at the request of coach Dorival Júnior.

The Morumbi club initially accepted the rival’s offer. But they lost interest when presented with the list of options for the exchange. On São Paulo’s side, the names were not disclosed. However, their reporters mention center-back Félix Torres, left-back Hugo, and forward Héctor Hernández.

Well, from that list, Torres can already be ruled out, as the rival is finalizing his loan to Internacional.

In any case, São Paulo’s response was clear: they want fellow midfielder Ranielli as the player to be exchanged. And then it was their turn to scratch their heads in disappointment, leaving things at a standstill.

We also know that Alisson has a good relationship with Dorival. It was under the coach’s leadership during the historic Copa do Brasil title run that the often-criticized forward was moved back to midfielder and enjoyed a period of idolization among Tricolor fans. Our former manager even pre-selected the number 25 for the Brazilian National Team (believe it or not).

Therefore, it’s only natural that his name is now being mentioned in the east side, since Dorival has moved over there.

Even more natural is that they’re desperate to stir up transfer rumors, having only managed to get rid of a transfer ban that prevented them from signing players this Tuesday.

And, let’s be honest, São Paulo has shown there’s no barrier to negotiations with them, as seen last year when they agreed to release Igor Vinícius. But the right-back ended up at another rival, Santos.

FUTURE AT MORUMBI

AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR revealed in December that Alisson lost his status as an essential squad member under coach Hernán Crespo.

There was an expectation from the number 25’s camp that a proposal from Cruzeiro would arrive. For a simple reason: his close relationship with businessman Pedro Lourenço, owner of Cruzeiro’s SAF. And because ‘Pedrinho BH’ had suggested Alisson’s name in the last two transfer windows.

The reason for the near-obsession of the Minas Gerais boss with the São Paulo player goes back to the past. Alisson was developed at Cruzeiro and was part of the youth teams when Lourenço was financially supporting and had an informal role in the lower divisions.

In short, Alisson is a kind of ‘protégé’ of Pedrinho BH. To the point that the businessman helped him at the end of 2022, when the player was sidelined from São Paulo due to psychological issues.

All this closeness, of course, means that Alisson’s name is constantly being considered at his old club.

Originally a right winger, Alisson has played as a midfielder for Tricolor since 2023, when he was improvised by Dorival Júnior during the Copa do Brasil title campaign. It was a comeback for the player, who had been criticized up to that point and was dealing with personal problems.

His good form even led to speculation about a national team call-up, as we mentioned above, but the arrival of Hernán Crespo and the switch to a three-center-back system saw him lose his place at São Paulo, overshadowed by Marcos Antônio and Bobadilla, and becoming a substitute.

Even during a downturn, the number 25 finished the year as the fourth most-used player of the season. He played 54 matches, 14 of them coming off the bench. Only in two games in which he was listed did he not take the field. He scored just one goal all year.

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