Ultimatum: São Paulo meet asking price, await Portuguese stalwart saga | OneFootball

São Paulo have made progress in negotiations to sign 31-year-old center-back Domingos Duarte. As AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR has learned, with interest signaled by Greek side Olympiakos, the club’s board accepted the financial terms requested by the player, who is a free agent after the end of his contract with Getafe of Spain.

With the financial impasse resolved, São Paulo’s hierarchy is awaiting a decision in the coming days. The Portuguese defender is expected to meet with his family and representatives to assess the possibility of moving to Brazilian football, weighing São Paulo’s project against competing offers from European clubs.

The internal assessment at Morumbi is that the club has exhausted its room for negotiation by matching the figures requested by the player. In light of this, the board believes that any negative outcome in the deal would stem exclusively from the player’s personal choice regarding his professional future.

As AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR revealed, at the insistence of president Harry Massis, the Morumbi club reopened talks with the Portuguese center-back.

Tricolor had ended negotiations to sign the 31-year-old, 1.92-meter-tall player after he asked for figures considered too high to play in Brazilian football and responded negatively to different contract models presented by the team during the talks.

The turnaround began precisely last weekend. After learning of Rui Costa’s dismissal, Duarte’s agents approached São Paulo. Opposed to the center-back’s stance of asking for more than had previously been agreed, his camp is concerned by the fact that he has not even received approaches from Europe considered ideal.

Duarte is seen by Tricolor as a key piece for their depleted defense, which lost Dória. A market opportunity considered unique. Club officials themselves emphasized to him and his camp that he would arrive as the undisputed starter in the position.

With spells at Sporting and Granada, as well as call-ups to the Portugal national team, the player brings the international experience demanded by the board. He had been playing for Getafe, also in La Liga, but his contract ends on June 30, allowing him to arrive without the purchase of transfer rights.

With spells at Sporting and Granada, as well as call-ups to the Portugal national team, the player brings the international experience demanded by the board. He had been playing for Getafe, also in La Liga, but his contract ends on June 30, allowing him to arrive without the purchase of transfer rights.

Duarte’s profile appealed because of his leadership, physical strength, aerial presence, and quality in playing out from the back.

He was already close to Brazilian football in 2019, when he held talks with Flamengo to replace Pablo Marí.

On the pitch, he is known as a ball-playing center-back, with good distribution, quality in the air, and solidity in organized defensive setups. His main characteristic is his reading of the game and his ability to start moves from the back.

On the other hand, he is not a particularly fast defender, which means he performs better in systems with less exposed lines and greater defensive protection.

São Paulo are looking for at least two more additions to their defensive sector. One of them will be an in-house solution: Arboleda will be reintegrated into the squad and made available to Dorival Júnior for the rest of the season.

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