Corinthians can't pay fee, Alisson offers to waive back pay to exit | OneFootball

The saga surrounding Alisson’s transfer to rival Corinthians may gain new chapters as the week unfolds.

According to AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR, after the team from the east side officially informed São Paulo that they cannot pay the R$ 1 million fee upfront required for the player’s release on loan for the entire season, the player and his staff decided to act behind the scenes to try to unlock the deal.

Alisson proposed to São Paulo’s management that, in exchange for receiving the fee from the rival, he himself would forgo the overdue payments that Tricolor still owes him to secure his release.

The report heard from at least two sources that this was the last-ditch solution found by the former São Paulo number 25 to fulfill his wish of playing in Itaquera, since the clubs agreed on Tuesday night (28th) to end negotiations.

São Paulo remains adamant about the ‘anti-default clause’ established to prevent the east side team from taking their player and still owing money. Even on Saturday (25th), Corinthians were already trying to bargain a way out of paying the R$ 1 million upfront required for the player’s documentation to be released so he could be registered for the Brazilian Championship.

Alisson’s desperate solution now hinges on staying active. Right after Corinthians communicated the end of negotiations late Tuesday night, São Paulo informed the midfielder’s agents that he would not be reintegrated into the squad and would continue training separately at the Barra Funda training center. At Morumbi, the player has already gained the status of “ungrateful” for pushing hard to play for a rival.

Football executive Rui Costa and president Harry Massis Júnior will discuss Alisson’s ‘offer’ throughout Wednesday (28th). The player reportedly has three months of overdue image rights, as well as performance bonuses. The total amount is less than the fee set for Corinthians’ payment and, at this moment, there is no internal consensus on the matter.

The final blow for Alisson to become expendable also came on Tuesday. The new manager Rafinha, who played alongside the midfielder, wanted to speak with him personally to understand the situation, but the former number 25 preferred to go again to the rival’s training center, where he went precisely to discuss a solution to unlock the situation.

According to Globo Esporte, Alisson neither trained nor underwent medical exams with the rival, since he still legally belongs to Tricolor, which is waiting for payment to finally release the player.

This Sunday (25th), after São Paulo lost the Copinha final, president Harry Massis spoke firmly about Alisson’s true intentions: “He’s very good friends with Dorival and doesn’t want to play for São Paulo anymore,” said the new president at Pacaembu. He detailed the issues preventing the loan transfer.

“If they pay us R$ 1 million for the loan and R$ 500,000 later on, I think in October or November, he’ll play this season at Corinthians. Until that payment is made, he’s a São Paulo player. For now, nothing is finalized. Tomorrow (Monday) we’ll see if the money lands in the account,” said the São Paulo president in an interview with ‘TV Record‘.

“It was a very good deal for São Paulo. It will be a one-year loan for R$ 1.5 million. If he reaches 25 matches, even playing just half a game, they’ll have to pay another 250,000 euros. If Corinthians want to use him against São Paulo, they’ll have to pay another R$ 2 million,” Massis added.

Corinthians are still struggling to pay the upfront amount Tricolor is demanding, as they are also facing a huge financial crisis. Football executive Marcelo Paz said there were still “bureaucratic issues” to be settled. In plain terms, they’re short on cash!

THE NEGOTIATION

The expectation was that Alisson would be announced on Friday (23rd) as Corinthians’ new signing.

The east side rival 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.

According to AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR, in addition to the upfront amount, Corinthians also committed to paying another R$ 500,000 installment for the deal starting mid-year, as confirmed by president Harry Massis.

The agreement includes a clause estimated at R$ 1.5 million if Alisson completes at least 25 games in Itaquera, playing at least 45 minutes each. And the penalty if the rival decides to field him in a derby against São Paulo this season is R$ 2 million. The player’s wages will be paid by the east side team.

The deal comes after the Morumbi club stood firm against a counterproposal made by the rival last Thursday (22nd), asking about the possibility of starting to pay for Alisson’s transfer only in 2027. After refusing and under pressure from Dorival Júnior himself for the arrival of his trusted man, they gave in. But, by all indications, they don’t have the money to close the deal.

DRAWN OUT

According to AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR, after rejecting the initial conditions suggested by the east side team, who sought the release of number 25 for free, the Morumbi club made a counterproposal: payment of approximately R$ 1.5 million for a season-long loan, with the rival paying the wages and a mandatory purchase clause if Alisson meets a games target.

Tired of thinking of alternatives to get Alisson, with whom they already have an agreement, Corinthians then decided to respond about the payment method for the loan fee. And Tricolor accepted the offer to split 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 the deal can be officially announced.

THE NEGOTIATION

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

Well, the long-awaited contact from the rival happened, according to AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR, during the evening. Indeed, some information from journalists covering Corinthians turned out to be true. They really want Alisson on a season-long 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, their new football boss. The draft offer was for São Paulo to release Alisson for the suggested period. And the east side team would be obliged to buy if he reached sporting targets, especially a certain number of games.

Tricolor’s response was immediate: no way. São Paulo believes it makes no sense to release their player for free to strengthen a rival and please their coach. Worse, to give away the piece Dorival wants so much and who, in a way, had one of the best moments of his career with him.

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

Talks should continue, since 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 spot, and convinced him. Because of this, São Paulo’s management chose to sideline him and not use him in matches. Even coach Hernán Crespo showed internal discomfort with number 25, saying he had “washed his hands” regarding his stay or departure.

THE CASE

Alisson’s signing was requested by coach Dorival Júnior at rival Corinthians. And negotiations have dragged on since the beginning of the month. For this reason, Tricolor decided to sideline the player, not including him in match squads. He missed the win over São Bernardo midweek and again was not listed for Sunday’s (18th) derby, precisely against the east side team in Itaquera, for the Paulista Championship. Crespo himself confirmed the information.

New president Harry Massis was informed by football executive Rui Costa of the current stage of the deal. And how the initial talks for player swaps ended up not working out.

Tricolor’s first choice for a swap was also midfielder Ranielli. But Corinthians did not accept the ‘offer’. A second name was suggested by São Paulo, José Martínez. However, the Venezuelan is stuck in his home country due to political issues, without a passport, and has not yet reported back to Parque São Jorge. That is, so to speak, since his girlfriend has been posting photos of the couple enjoying life in Caracas. To complicate matters, his agent told the rival he has no interest 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 switch clubs. The reason given to São Paulo’s management is that he’s seeking more playing time. Which is odd, since he started in Tricolor’s season opener against Mirassol. And he’s only not being included by Crespo because of the ongoing negotiation with Corinthians.

AMT found that Massis agreed with Costa’s plan to play hardball. They don’t want to strengthen a rival easily. Either Corinthians gives in and provides the players São Paulo requested, or pays an amount considered fair by those at Morumbi.

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

There was an expectation from number 25’s staff that an offer would come from Cruzeiro. For a simple reason: his closeness to agent 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 almost obsession of the Minas Gerais boss for the São Paulo player goes back to the past. Alisson was developed at Cruzeiro and came up through the youth ranks when Lourenço was financially helping 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 agent helped him at the end of 2022, when the player was sidelined at São Paulo due to psychological problems.

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

A natural 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 the player’s comeback, previously criticized and with personal problems.

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

Alisson has a good relationship with Dorival. It was under the coach’s leadership during the historic Copa do Brasil title run that the much-questioned forward was moved back to midfield and enjoyed a moment of idol status with Tricolor fans. Our former coach even pre-called number 25 for the Brazilian National Team (believe it or not).

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

Even in a slump, number 25 finished last 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 where he was listed did he not play. He scored just one goal all year.

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