Diniz on possible Corinthians exits, praises bond with Yuri Alberto | OneFootball

On the afternoon of this Sunday (17), Corinthians traveled to Nilton Santos Stadium in Rio de Janeiro to face Botafogo in a match valid for the 16th round of the 2026 Brazilian Championship, and was beaten 3-1. Alvinegro’s goal was scored by midfielder Rodrigo Garro in the 10th minute of the second half. The result left the Corinthians side in 17th place with 18 points — four wins, six draws, and six losses — with 14 goals scored and 18 conceded.

Head coach Fernando Diniz spoke with reporters in a press conference a few minutes after the match, and talked about Corinthians’ possible departures in the middle of the season. Currently, from the Corinthians squad, goalkeeper Hugo Souza, right-back Matheuzinho, midfielder André Luiz, and forward Yuri Alberto are some of the most highly valued names. In the budget for the 2026 season, the Corinthians board set a target of R$ 151 million in player sales. The mid-year transfer window will take place between July 20 and September 11.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

“I see the players’ desire to play in Europe as natural. However, at this moment, in my technical opinion, we cannot lose players. I’m not a coach who asks for signings all the time, much less one who wants to lose players. Yuri (Alberto) is a very important player for us, and in a special way for me, I like him a lot. Everything I’m saying to you (the press), I’ve already said to him, I’ve already said to the whole group, that he is an essential player for our ambitions, for what we want this season.”

“He is a player we would have no replacement for. And I will do everything I can for him to stay, while respecting his wishes, but it doesn’t have to be now. I think the group really needs Yuri at this moment, just as it needs Hugo (Souza), André (Luiz), but Yuri in particular is the kind of player in a position where it is very rare to have someone like him. So we have to make that clear to him, and talk about the season,” he began.

Yuri Alberto is Corinthians’ top scorer this season with six goals. The center-forward arrived at Parque São Jorge in mid-2022 and, since then, has scored 82 goals and provided 23 assists in 232 matches (199 as a starter). He is the all-time top scorer at Neo Química Arena (51 goals) and the team’s leading scorer in the 21st century.

In 2024, he scored 31 goals and was important in the team’s surge in the Brasileirão (from the relegation zone to the Libertadores qualifying stage), finishing as the top scorer of that edition of the competition with 15 goals. In addition, he has won three titles: the Campeonato Paulista (2025), the Copa do Brasil (2025), and the Supercopa do Brasil (2026), against Palmeiras, Vasco da Gama, and Flamengo, respectively. Yuri scored goals in all three finals.

Later, the coach praised his relationship with the No. 9 and again spoke about his importance to the team: “My relationship with Yuri is very good, very honest, very open. He is a player I have always liked and admired a lot. In my personal relationship with him, he had already spoken about this desire and I had already told him what I thought. So, it’s something that has to be built, and he has to keep the same desire he has shown in these four or five years he has been here, because he is a very important player and will continue to be important for the team,” he concluded.

After being beaten by Botafogo away from home in the 2026 Brazilian Championship, Corinthians now turns its focus back to the Conmebol Libertadores group stage. That is because next Thursday (21), at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time), Alvinegro will visit Peñarol-URU in a match for the fifth round of the international competition’s qualifying phase.

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