Corinthians to sell players to clear debts before seeking signings | OneFootball

Corinthians have defined their strategy for the current transfer window. Before seeking new signings, the board intends to negotiate the sale of two to three players from the professional squad to generate revenue, ease financial pressure, and settle commitments considered a priority. The information was reported by the Meu Timão portal.

Among the most urgent pending issues is the payment related to the signing of defensive midfielder José Martínez from Philadelphia Union in the United States. The debt was responsible for the transfer ban imposed by FIFA, which currently prevents the club from registering new players.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Ag. Corinthians

In addition to that case, Corinthians still need to resolve other disputes involving international deals. One of them concerns the purchase of midfielder Charles. The other involves the renewal of Talles Magno’s loan, completed in 2025. If these debts remain unresolved, the club could face new sanctions imposed by world football’s governing body.

Only after settling these financial obligations does the board intend to assess its investment capacity to determine possible signings in this window.

Behind the scenes, three names appear as the main candidates to leave the squad: midfielders André Luiz and Breno Bidon, as well as forward Yuri Alberto. All three have attracted interest from foreign clubs, while André Luiz and Yuri Alberto have already come close to being transferred on previous occasions.

In André Luiz’s case, Corinthians had already advanced, in February, the sale of 70% of the midfielder’s economic rights to AC Milan of Italy. The proposal included a payment of 15 million euros, around R$ 90 million at the exchange rate at the time, plus another 2 million euros in bonuses tied to sporting targets. Despite progress in the talks, the transfer was ultimately not completed.

Yuri Alberto, meanwhile, has once again shown in recent months his interest in playing in European football. In January, Fenerbahçe submitted an offer of 18 million euros — approximately R$ 112 million at the exchange rate at the time — for the number 9. The proposal, however, was rejected by the club’s board.

The European market is already officially open and will remain active until the end of August. In Brazil, the main registration window runs between July 20 and September 11. Before that period, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) created an extraordinary window between July 10 and 18, exclusively for domestic deals involving players already competing in the country. The measure was adopted because of the rescheduling of the 19th round of the Brazilian Championship.

With a debt approaching R$ 2.7 billion, Corinthians set in their 2026 budget the expectation of raising R$ 151 million through the sale of players’ economic rights.

Meanwhile, the transfer ban remains active. The punishment imposed by FIFA stems from the delay in payment to Philadelphia Union for the signing of José Martínez. After also losing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Corinthians were forced to pay out $1.425 million, about R$ 7.4 million at the current exchange rate, in addition to annual interest of 15% and other charges provided for in the ruling.

Another international case involves New York City FC. At the beginning of June, the São Paulo club was ordered to pay $850,000 related to the renewal values of Talles Magno’s loan. Even so, there is still the possibility of appealing the decision.

There is also a dispute with FC Midtjylland of Denmark. After a ruling at CAS, Corinthians were ordered to pay more than R$ 6 million for breaching an agreement signed during the deal for midfielder Charles. If the amount is not paid within the established deadline, a new transfer ban could be imposed on the club.

The financial problems, however, are not limited to international pending issues. Domestically, Corinthians have accumulated delays in paying obligations to players and staff.

Over the last two months, the club did not pay on time the registered salaries under Brazil’s labor laws (CLT) of the professional squad. In addition, image rights due on June 20 remain outstanding.

The situation has also affected the women’s team. The Brabas only received this Tuesday the image rights for the month of June, which should have been paid on June 15. The deposit was made after a 22-day delay.

Other financial obligations related to the women’s football team also remain open. Among them are installments still unpaid from the bonus for winning the Women’s Libertadores, which had been agreed to be paid in 12 installments.

Part of the bonus related to the runner-up finish in the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup also remains pending. Corinthians received R$ 5.3 million for their campaign in the competition, but the 80% earmarked for the players, coaching staff, and other members of the group has still not been fully passed on.

The financial difficulties have also reached the youth categories. In June, players who receive a stipend from the club had their payments made with a delay of approximately two weeks.

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