São Paulo face contract dilemmas with four players, details here | OneFootball

São Paulo currently has four players in its squad whose contracts expire at the end of this season. They are: midfielder Luiz Gustavo, defender Enzo Díaz, and forwards Rigoni and Dinenno. The first is simply at the end of his contract, while the last three are on loan to the Tricolor.

The four players have contracts with São Paulo only until December 31, 2025, but they face different situations at the club. Enzo Díaz, for example, is a regular starter at left-back, while Rigoni and Dinenno are not expected to stay. Below, Gazeta Esportiva provides a brief overview of each player's situation.

Luiz Gustavo

Luiz Gustavo was signed by São Paulo back in 2023, with an initial one-year contract. In that season, the midfielder played 46 games and won the Supercopa do Brasil. Due to his good performance, the Tricolor extended his contract until the end of 2025.

However, in the current season, Luiz Gustavo was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism in April. This condition kept him off the field for about five months. He became available again in mid-September and has since been given opportunities by coach Hernán Crespo.

The 38-year-old has played in different positions during this period. He played in his original position as a midfielder but was also improvised as a third defender in certain situations. In the current season, he has played eight games and scored one goal.

São Paulo's management, in fact, views the renewal of Luiz Gustavo's contract favorably. His current contract ends at the end of this year, but internally there is a consensus that he can continue to contribute both on and off the field, despite his advanced age.

Enzo Díaz

Enzo Díaz, on the other hand, joined São Paulo this season on loan from River Plate, Argentina. The defender has stood out for his physical ability and has secured a starting position in a role that lacked options in the Tricolor team.

The Argentine also faced competition from Wendell but only had his starting position threatened a few times during the year. The Brazilian suffered from injuries that prevented him from having long sequences, and Enzo Díaz took advantage of these opportunities to establish himself in the starting eleven.

The top management of São Paulo is also interested in keeping Enzo Díaz and may use Giuliano Galoppo as a bargaining chip to secure the defender's permanent transfer. The midfielder was loaned to River Plate at the beginning of the year, and his contract with the Argentine club ends in December 2025. Both have a fixed purchase option if certain goals are met.

Emiliano Rigoni

On the other hand, Rigoni is in a different situation. The Argentine signed a loan agreement with stipulated goals for automatic renewal for another year. To activate the extension of his contract, Rigoni would need to play in 12 matches by the end of the season, for at least 45 minutes, which is unlikely to happen.

The forward has played nine matches so far but has played more than 45 minutes in only three of them. Since São Paulo has only five more games until the end of the season, Rigoni will not have enough time to meet the stipulated goals for automatic renewal.

As a result, the decision to renew or not the contract with the Argentine is in the hands of São Paulo's management. Since Rigoni will not meet the goals, the club can choose whether or not to keep the player. The forward has not yet scored in this return to the Tricolor.

(Photo: Erico Leonan / São Paulo FC)

Juan Dinenno

Finally, Dinenno is another forward signed on loan who is not expected to stay for the next season. The striker is on loan from São Paulo to Cruzeiro but is out of action due to an arthroscopy on his right knee, performed in October.

Signed in the last transfer window, Juan Dinenno has scored only one goal for São Paulo so far, in the victory over Botafogo, at Morumbis, by 1-0, in the Brazilian Championship. The forward has played eight times in the Tricolor jersey, three of them as a starter.

With a loan contract valid only until the end of the current season, the Tricolor's number 19 has little chance of staying at São Paulo, especially since in 2026, coach Hernán Crespo is expected to count on Jonathan Calleri, Ryan Francisco, and André Silva again.

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