Stabile: Midfielder who played with Memphis set for Corinthians | OneFootball

Corinthians remains active in the transfer window. After announcing four players and arranging the loan of Allan from Flamengo, Timão is close to securing another international reinforcement. This Saturday, interim president Osmar Stabile said that Moroccan midfielder Zakaria Labyad, who was once Memphis' teammate and is a friend of the Dutchman, is “practically confirmed” with the Alvinegro.

“The Moroccan is practically confirmed,” said Stabile, in an interview after the Women's Supercup final.

Corinthians was in advanced talks with Labyad, and quickly reached an agreement. The midfielder has been without a club since the beginning of the year, after playing for Dalian Yingbo in China.

The signing of the midfielder can be considered important for keeping Memphis, since the Dutchman and Labyad have maintained a friendship for over 15 years.

Memphis Depay and Zakaria Labyad together. (Photo: Reproduction / Instagram)

More than a decade of friendship

Labyad played with Memphis between 2011 and 2012 at PSV. At the time, the striker was just 17 years old and was emerging as a local football prospect, while the Moroccan midfielder—one year older—was also earning his place in the team.

Despite their young age, both were part of the squad that won the 2012 Dutch Cup, with Memphis being an important piece of the PSV team.

Even without another opportunity to play together, the friendship between the athletes continued. Memphis even commented on Labyad’s posts, asking him to come to Brazil.

Comment by Memphis on Labyad’s post. “Come to Brazil, bro!” (Photo: Reproduction / Instagram)

Who is Labyad?

Labyad began his career in 2010 at PSV. The midfielder took some time to earn his place and, without establishing himself as a starter, was transferred to Sporting in 2012.

After a promising start in Portuguese football, he was called up to the Moroccan national team, but also failed to establish himself there. In the following years, he had stints at Vitesse (Netherlands) and Fulham (England), before joining Utrecht (Netherlands) in 2017.

At the Dutch club, he experienced the best phase of his career. Between 2017 and 2018, he played 52 matches, scored 18 goals, and provided 12 assists, which led him to Ajax and brought him back to the Moroccan national team.

However, he did not maintain the same performance, returned to Utrecht, and later moved to Chinese football. Throughout his career, he has played 359 matches, scored 81 goals, and provided 69 assists.

Angileri’s contract renewal

Stabile also spoke about Angileri’s situation, whose contract renewal negotiations had stalled. The president revealed that negotiations are ongoing.

“Regarding Angileri, he has resumed talks and we are making progress. There are a few minor adjustments, and as soon as we sort them out, he will return to training as normal,” he concluded.

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