Corinthians seal two U20 deals, but await clearance to register | OneFootball

Corinthians have moved closer to signing two new players to strengthen their youth ranks. Defensive midfielder Romulo Elisio and attacking midfielder Lucas Emanuel, known as Lukinha, have left Ponte Preta and have agreed to join the club’s Under-20 squad. However, neither can be registered yet because of the transfer bans preventing the club from signing new players.

The information about the agreement was first reported by Itatiaia and confirmed by TMC. Although they are still unable to be registered by Timão, Romulo and Lukinha are already taking part in activities at the youth academy training center.

Photo: Disclosure/Corinthians

For the duo to be officially registered, Corinthians need to resolve the sanctions that are still in effect. According to TMC, the club has not set a date to clear all the outstanding issues needed to lift the bans, while also working to regularize financial commitments with the current first-team squad.

Duo already has first-team experience

Romulo Elisio arrives at Corinthians after developing through several clubs. Before Ponte Preta, the defensive midfielder had spells at Taquaritinga, Novorizontino, Paulínia, and Ceará. At the Campinas side, he was given opportunities in the senior team and made three appearances.

Lukinha, meanwhile, came through at Ponte Preta itself and has made eight appearances for the first team. One of them came precisely against Corinthians, in the opening round of the 2026 Paulista Championship.

Both players had their contracts with Ponte Preta terminated in July and are now waiting for the chance to be registered by the club from Parque São Jorge so they can be available for the Under-20s.

Transfer bans prevent new registrations

Corinthians still need to resolve three pending issues before they can register players again. According to TMC’s survey, approximately R$ 21.9 million would be needed to end the bans currently in force.

One of the claims involves Philadelphia Union and is related to the signing of José Martínez, in addition to expenses related to the case. The debt is US$ 1.425 million, plus US$ 100,000, totaling approximately R$ 7.7 million based on the conversion cited by the outlet.

Another pending issue concerns an overdue installment from an agreement with the National Chamber for Dispute Resolution (CNRD), worth US$ 1.57 million, around R$ 8 million.

The third case involves Midtjylland and the deal for midfielder Charles. The amount listed is €1 million, plus US$ 85,000 in case-related expenses, approximately R$ 6.2 million. As long as the bans remain active, Corinthians will continue to be unable to register new players, including reinforcements intended for the youth ranks.

Corinthians also target Ponte Preta Under-17 standout

In addition to Romulo and Lukinha, another young Ponte Preta player has entered Corinthians’ radar. According to TMC’s reporting, Corinthians submitted an offer for 16-year-old attacking midfielder Nicolas Lopes.

Despite being younger, the player wears the No. 10 shirt for Ponte Preta’s Under-17 team. The Corinthians offer does not include a transfer fee, but proposes a split of the player’s economic rights between the clubs.

Nicolas has scored eight goals in 15 matches for the Campinas side’s Under-17 team. Last weekend, he scored twice in a 2-2 draw against Palmeiras.

There is positive expectation that the negotiations will move forward. If an agreement is reached, however, Nicolas will face the same situation as Romulo and Lukinha: Corinthians will first need to lift the transfer bans in order to register the player.

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