Corinthians to send reps to Argentina over Garro transfer debt

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Central do Timão

·11 January 2026

Corinthians to send reps to Argentina over Garro transfer debt

By Matheus Fernandes and Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial Team

After settling a debt of R$ 40 million with Santos Laguna, from Mexico, for the signing of defender Félix Torres in January 2024, Corinthians is now focusing on resolving other outstanding issues related to signings made during the administration of ousted president Augusto Melo to avoid new transfer bans from FIFA.

As initially reported by Gazeta Esportiva and confirmed by Central do Timão, Corinthians is expected to send representatives to Argentina to open a dialogue with Talleres regarding a debt from the purchase of Rodrigo Garro in January 2024. Central do Timão has further investigated and also learned that the club will delegate this task to the members of the Club's Financial Restructuring Committee, appointed by president Osmar Stabile in the first days of October 2025.

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Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

In February 2025, after appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Corinthians was ordered by FIFA to pay R$ 32 million – including interest, compensation, and taxes – for the signing of the number 8 from the Argentine club. The committee that will go to Argentina is the same one that resolved debts with Paraguayan midfielder Matías Rojas, as well as the outstanding payment for the purchase of Félix Torres.

At the start of 2026, Corinthians has been prioritizing solving its main financial emergencies. Last week, the club also made an early payment of the third installment of the agreement in the National Chamber for Dispute Resolution (CNRD), which was due on the upcoming 17th, Saturday. The CBF body seeks to resolve conflicts between institutions, athletes, and agents.

The largest creditor of Corinthians in the debt payment plan is Cuiabá, which is owed R$ 18 million for the sale of midfielder Raniele to the Alvinegro two seasons ago. The CNRD had demanded a stronger stance from the club from Parque São Jorge regarding its commitments, as it had already delayed the first two installments.

The main source for Corinthians to make the aforementioned debt payments came from the Copa do Brasil prize money – R$ 77 million – half of which is blocked by Caixa Econômica Federal according to the refinancing contract for the Neo Química Arena in July 2022, still under the management of Duílio Monteiro Alves. In addition, the club also counted on R$ 70 million from Liga Forte União (LFU) related to the broadcasting rights for the 2025 Brasileirão.

In his introductory press conference last Friday (9), football executive Marcelo Paz was asked about Corinthians’ situation with Talleres and emphasized that the matter is administrative. However, he also mentioned the club’s willingness to find a solution to the debt as quickly as possible.

“The president of Talleres is Andrés Fassi. He is a historic executive there and has a strong command. This is an administrative matter, so it is not for me, at this moment, to say the size of the debt or how much it is. I am sure that Corinthians is very willing to settle it responsibly. We count a lot on the entire support network the club has to generate revenue.”

“This has to generate even more revenue, in all its actions. But, as it is an administrative matter, I will allow myself not to go into detail, especially since it is not an area where I will be working to resolve it. And, from what I have seen in these few days, it is an area that is being very well managed. It’s no coincidence that all the payments have been made, all the debts settled in a short time,” he said.

Since arriving at Corinthians, Rodrigo Garro has become one of the pillars and technical leaders of the Corinthians squad. In 2024, he was a key player in the team’s surge in the Brazilian Championship that year – from the relegation zone to the 2025 Pre-Libertadores – leading the national competition in assists (10) and being part of the championship’s team of the year in the Bola de Prata ESPN awards.

In the 2025 season, he dealt with some physical issues. Between late March and May, he was away from the pitch to treat chronic patellar tendinopathy in his right knee. In October, he suffered a calf muscle injury. In total, he scored two goals and provided nine assists in 38 games last year. Overall, he has won two titles with the club: the Paulistão and the Copa do Brasil, both in 2025. Additionally, he has 15 goals and 23 assists wearing the Corinthians shirt.

Alert for possible FIFA sanctions and debts with other clubs

Besides the Rodrigo Garro case, Corinthians still has other cases that could result in further transfer bans from FIFA and are under review by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). These include: 1 million euros (R$ 6.5 million) owed to Shakhtar Donetsk-UCA, related to the recent loans of midfielder Maycon, who recently transferred to Atlético-MG. Added to this are R$ 8 million for the signing of midfielder José Martínez in mid-2024 from Philadelphia Union, USA, and also R$ 6.26 million owed to Midtjylland, Denmark, for the purchase of midfielder Charles in mid-2024.

According to information from ge.globo, in the coming days, the Corinthians board intends to contact the boards of the clubs in question to seek an agreement. In addition to the debts already with FIFA, Corinthians has other outstanding issues: the club has not paid R$ 13.6 million to Athletico-PR for the signing of Alex Santana in July 2024, nor has it paid any of the installments for the permanent signing of defender Cacá – R$ 24 million at the beginning of 2025 from Tokushima Vortis, Japan.

Finally, recently, the club renegotiated the payment for the signing of striker Pedro Raul in February 2024 from Toluca, Mexico. At the time, the Alvinegro agreed to pay R$ 25 million, but did not pay any of the installments due in 2024. At the beginning of last year, the club renegotiated the settlement of the debt and is currently up to date with payments. However, with interest, the amount has risen to just over R$ 40 million, according to information from Meu Timão published in recent months.

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