Corinthians midfielder gets Italian citizenship, boosts Europe move | OneFootball

Defensive midfielder Breno Bidon took an important step with a possible move to European football in mind. The Corinthians player had his Italian citizenship recognized, which means he no longer takes up a spot reserved for foreigners at clubs on the continent.

“In terms of price, it makes no difference, because that is regulated by the market. But it increases the options. Clubs usually reserve non-EU spots for the player who decides games, generally forwards. Center-backs or defensive midfielders, as much as they may like the player, they prefer to develop at home. In those (foreign) spots they will invest more money and take risks,” explained the midfielder’s agent, Fernando Brito, to ge.globo.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Ag. Corinthians

Even without having the Italian passport in hand, the official recognition already directly impacts his market valuation. That is because leagues such as those in Spain, France, and Italy impose limits on foreign players in squads.

“The scenario changes completely from now on. Before, Breno was competing for one of the three foreign-player spots at each European club. Now, the possibilities are much greater”, the agent emphasized.

“Even if this document does not come through before the next transfer window, just the fact that he is an Italian citizen already greatly influences the market’s assessment. First, in the current situation, he could already be registered as an EU player in the Italian Serie A. Second, a European club may want to buy him now, but only bring him in at the end of the year. But we expect the passport to be issued before the window closes in September,” he continued.

The pursuit of citizenship is not recent and is part of a long-term plan for the player’s career. This type of strategy is common in football, and other names in the black-and-white squad are also following the same path, such as forward Yuri Alberto, who was in Italy earlier this year to deal with the paperwork.

“This move had already been planned for years in Breno’s career. We carefully chose the firm that would handle the process for us, with great scrutiny and within the law. In fact, we even opted for a slower process, but one we considered the most proper,” he added.

Interest from European clubs in the midfielder is nothing new. Even at youth level, he was already drawing attention from teams such as PSV, Napoli, Bayern Munich, Atlético de Madrid, and Barcelona. More recently, Arsenal also began monitoring his situation, according to BBC Sport.

Frequently compared to Pedri’s style of play, Bidon is seen as one of the biggest prospects outside European football. A study by the CIES Football Observatory estimates his value at 19.3 million euros (around R$ 120.7 million), making him the most valuable under-23 midfielder outside the continent’s top leagues.

Under contract until the end of 2029, the defensive midfielder has high release clauses: 100 million euros for international transfers and R$ 370 million for deals within Brazil. Corinthians, in fact, expects to raise approximately R$ 151 million from sales throughout the 2026 season.

While his future remains undefined, Breno Bidon continues to be part of the squad and could be an option for this Wednesday’s match, on April 1, against Fluminense at 9:30 p.m. at the Maracanã, in the Brazilian Championship.

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