Marcelo Paz says El Shaarawy and Bakayoko were offered to Corinthians | OneFootball

Corinthians football executive Marcelo Paz says Italian forward El Shaarawy and French midfielder Tiémoué Bakayoko were offered to the club in this window, but talks did not progress.

"It happened, but we could not sign at that moment, given the transfer ban. Bakayoko and El Shaarawy were offered to Corinthians, two big players with global impact. There are more, but I will keep them to myself," he told Metrópoles.

"We could not negotiate, we sought information internally, but we could not negotiate due to the transfer ban. We are prioritising players' salaries, the first funds that come in will go to wages and then to the transfer ban. Those names arrived because of the club's stature."

El Shaarawy, 33, came through at Genoa and played for Milan, Monaco and Roma, plus two years in China. He is a free agent seeking his next club.

Bakayoko, 32, debuted for Rennes and peaked at Monaco alongside Kylian Mbappé, later representing Chelsea, Milan, Napoli, Lorient and, last season, PAOK. He is also out of contract.

Corinthians have three transfer bans in force, two from Fifa and one from the CBF over CNRD non-compliance, so they cannot register new players. They were permitted to renew Memphis Depay's deal and reactivate him with the CBF because he had a previous registration.

The club also owes one month of image rights to the men's squad, as well as holidays and bonuses. Total debt stands at R$ 2.7 billion.

Source: Globo.com

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