São Paulo pip Corinthians, near deal for Mirassol midfielder | OneFootball

São Paulo won the battle with rival Corinthians and is close to officially signing midfielder Danielzinho, 31, one of the standouts of Mirassol in the surprising campaign of the last Brazilian Championship.

AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR found out that Rui Costa, the football executive of the Morumbi club, made an official contract proposal to the player this Friday (12), whose contract with the interior team ends at the end of this month.

The information was that Danielzinho had been negotiating behind the scenes with the team from the eastern zone, but since they are still competing in the finals of the Copa do Brasil, they preferred not to formalize any proposal, only expressing their interest.

This, in a way, gives Tricolor an advantage in the deal, as the midfielder's agents did not like being 'put on ice' by Corinthians.

The player and his staff liked São Paulo's offer: a two-year contract, extendable for another year as long as he meets certain goals.

Despite his age, Danielzinho meets coach Hernán Crespo's requirement for a "health history": he has a small injury history. He played 50 games this year, 49 in 2024, and 46 in 2023. In the current season, the midfielder played 4,340 minutes, missing only one match for Mirassol.

The midfielder's career can be described as 'quite modest': discovered by Itapirense, he played for small clubs in the interior of São Paulo and Minas Gerais. His only experience with a big team was in 2013, when he was part of Atlético-MG's B squad.

He is the second reinforcement lined up by the Morumbi club for next year. The club has also arranged a deal with Ajax, from the Netherlands, for the signing of defender Gastón Ávila on loan until the end of 2026. Both new reinforcements are expected to be announced next week, when the documents are signed with the presence of both players at the Barra Funda training center.

The arrival of a midfielder fills the gap left by the departure of Luiz Gustavo, whose contract ends at the end of the month and will not be renewed. Besides him, other players in the position, such as Luan and Pablo Maia, have inquiries and are also not expected to stay.

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