São Paulo stands firm, Corinthians to pay upfront for Alisson | OneFootball

Midfielder Alisson will be announced later this Friday (23) as the new reinforcement for Corinthians.

The rival from the eastern zone got tired of trying to bargain with São Paulo and agreed to pay R$ 1 million upfront for the loan of the 32-year-old player, a request from their coach, Dorival Júnior.

As reported by AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR, in addition to the upfront amount, Corinthians also committed to paying another installment of R$ 500,000 for the deal starting in July.

The agreement includes a definitive purchase clause estimated at R$ 1.5 million if Alisson reaches a minimum number of matches played in Itaquera. And the penalty if the rival decides to field him in a classic match against São Paulo this season is R$ 2 million. The player's salary will be covered by the team from the eastern zone.

The deal comes after the Morumbi club stood firm on a counterproposal made by the rival last Thursday (22), asking about the possibility of starting to pay for Alisson's transfer only in 2027. Faced with the refusal and pressure from Dorival himself for the arrival of his trusted man, they gave in.

ENTANGLED

As reported by AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR, after rejecting the conditions initially suggested by the eastern zone team, which sought the release of number 25 for free, the Morumbi club made a counterproposal: payment of approximately R$ 1.5 million for a one-season loan, with the rival paying the salaries and a mandatory purchase clause if Alisson meets a game target.

Tired of thinking of alternatives to have Alisson, with whom they already have an alignment, Corinthians then decided to respond regarding the payment method for the loan fee. And the Tricolor accepted the offer to divide the amount into 11 monthly installments until the end of the year.

At the moment, the report found that the two rivals are just aligning the final details of the contract so that the negotiation can be officially announced.

THE NEGOTIATION

With the information that São Paulo finally unlocked its negotiations now that it indeed has a new president, with Harry Massis Júnior taking over from the impeached Julio Casares, São Paulo's Monday (19) was marked by information coming from Corinthians insiders about their plans to meet coach Dorival Júnior's request and finalize the signing of midfielder Alisson.

Well, the long-awaited contact from the rival happened, according to AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR, during the night. Certainly, some information from journalists covering Corinthians proved to be true. They really want to have Alisson on a one-season loan. But here's the problem: they don't want to pay anything for it.

It wasn't an official proposal, but rather a signal from Marcelo Paz, the new football boss. The draft offer is for São Paulo to release Alisson for the suggested period. And the eastern zone team would have an obligation to buy if he reached sporting goals, especially a certain number of games.

The Tricolor's response was immediate: no way. São Paulo understands that it doesn't make sense to release their player for free to strengthen a rival and meet their coach's request. Worse, to give the piece that Dorival so wants and who, in a way, lived one of the best moments of his career with him.

After rejecting all the exchange options offered by the rival, who in turn refused the requested names (read more below), São Paulo only sees two possible scenarios: a definitive sale or a paid loan, with a transfer fee and possibly a purchase option at the end of the contract.

Conversations should continue, as Dorival insists on having Alisson, and the Itaquera team already has a verbal agreement with the player. The coach himself called him, even promised him a starting position, and convinced him. Because of this, São Paulo's management opted to sideline him and no longer use him in games. Even coach Hernán Crespo showed internal discomfort with number 25, saying he "washed his hands" regarding his stay or not.

THE CASE

Alisson's signing was requested by coach Dorival Júnior at rival Corinthians. And the negotiations have been dragging on since the beginning of the month. Therefore, the Tricolor decided to somewhat distance the player, not including him in the games. He was left out of the victory over São Bernardo midweek and was again not included for the classic on Sunday (18), precisely against the eastern zone team, in Itaquera, for the Paulista Championship. Crespo himself confirmed the information.

The new president Harry Massis was informed by the football executive Rui Costa of the current stage of the deal. And how the initial negotiations for player exchanges ended up not working out.

The Tricolor's first choice for an exchange was also midfielder Ranielli. But Corinthians did not accept the 'offer'. A second name was suggested by the São Paulo team, José Martínez. However, the Venezuelan is stuck in his home country due to political issues, without a passport, and has not yet returned to Parque São Jorge. That is, in quotes, since his girlfriend has been posting photos of the couple enjoying life in Caracas. To complicate matters, his agent informed the rival that he is not interested in seeing his client at Morumbi.

While the clubs are at a standstill, Dorival acted behind the scenes. He called Alisson and, according to 'ESPN', convinced number 25 to change clubs. The reason given to São Paulo's directors is that he seeks more playing time. Which is strange, as he was a starter in the Tricolor's season opener against Mirassol. And he is only not being included by Crespo due to the negotiation with Corinthians.

AMT found that Massis agreed with Costa's plan to toughen the competition. They don't want to strengthen a rival easily. Either Corinthians gives in and provides who São Paulo asked for, or they pay an amount deemed fair by the Morumbi side.

AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR revealed in December that Alisson lost his essential status in the squad with coach Hernán Crespo.

There was an expectation from number 25's staff that a proposal from Cruzeiro would arrive. For a simple reason: his closeness to businessman Pedro Lourenço, owner of the Minas Gerais club's SAF. And because 'Pedrinho BH' had suggested Alisson's name in the last two transfer windows.

The reason for the Minas Gerais boss's near-obsession with the São Paulo player dates back to the past. Alisson was revealed at Cruzeiro and was part of the blue team's youth categories when Lourenço financially helped and had an informal role in the lower layers.

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, makes Alisson's name constantly probed at his old home.

Originally a right-winger, Alisson has been playing as a midfielder for the Tricolor since 2023, when he was improvised by Dorival Júnior during the Brazilian Cup title campaign. It was the player's comeback, previously criticized and with personal issues.

The good phase even led to his name being considered for a call-up to the National Team, as we mentioned above, but the arrival of Hernán Crespo and the change to a three-defender system made him lose space within São Paulo, overshadowed by Marcos Antônio and Bobadilla and becoming a reserve.

Alisson has a good relationship with Dorival. It was under the coach's guidance during the historic Brazilian Cup title campaign that the questioned forward was moved back to midfielder and enjoyed a moment of idolization with the Tricolor fans. Our former commander even pre-called number 25 for the Brazilian National Team (believe it or not).

Therefore, it's natural that his name is being mentioned by the eastern zone now that Dorival has moved there.

Even in a downturn, number 25 ended last year as the fourth player with the most appearances in the season. There were 54 games, 14 of them coming off the bench. Only in two games where he was listed did he not enter the field. He scored only one goal in the year.

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