See the details agreed in talks between Corinthians and Memphis | OneFootball

Corinthians officially confirmed last Tuesday (11) the departure of Memphis Depay. According to the club, the decision was made “solely and exclusively in consideration of the institution’s financial health.” According to information published by the Meu Timão portal, negotiations over the striker’s stay involved a series of points, including salaries, image rights, bonuses, commercial commitments, benefits, and the settlement of amounts still owed to the player.

Salaries

The proposal provided for Memphis to remain at Corinthians for two more seasons. The new contract would begin on August 1, 2026, and end on July 31, 2028. The pay would be adjusted according to the period of the deal. In the first five months, between August and December 2026, the gross monthly salary would be R$ 632,500. From January 2027 until the end of the contract, in July 2028, the amount would rise to R$ 1.1 million per month.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Ag. Corinthians

Adding up all payments scheduled over the 24 months, Memphis would receive R$ 24,062,500 in salaries. The amount represented a significant drop compared to the previous deal, which was in effect from September 2024 to July 2026 and resulted in just over R$ 32 million paid by Corinthians over 23 months.

The difference can also be seen in the monthly average. In the first contract, the average salary was approximately R$ 1.391 million. Under the new proposal, the average would be around R$ 1.003 million per month, a reduction of about 26%.

The agreement also preserved mechanisms related to possible delays. If Corinthians accumulated more than two months of unpaid salaries or image rights, Memphis could terminate the contract for cause or stop playing until the amounts were settled. During the talks, bonuses were included in this rule, but the item was ultimately removed by the club from the final version.

Another change favored Corinthians in the handling of financial obligations. The period for the club to settle overdue payments without interest being applied would increase from 15 to 40 days. If payment was not made within that period, there would still be fines and interest, but at lower rates than those established in the previous agreement.

There was also a change to one of the obligations imposed on the player. The requirement for Memphis to avoid statements encouraging the consumption of alcoholic beverages, among other conduct, came to include the expression “under the terms of the law.” The change gained relevance because Zé Delivery, a company in the beverage sector, was considered in studies related to the commercial structure that could make the renewal possible, according to Meu Timão.

Image rights amounts

In addition to employment-related remuneration, the new agreement established payments related to image rights. In total, Corinthians would assume a commitment of R$ 28.6 million, distributed over a period that would go beyond the end of the sporting contract and extend until 2030.

The schedule was as follows:

Although the total amount was similar to that of the previous deal, the structure was different. In the first contract, Corinthians had undertaken to pay R$ 28,353,579.40 in 23 installments, between September 2024 and July 2026. Since the payments under the new agreement would be spread out over a longer period, the monthly average would be approximately 45% lower.

The way the club could use Memphis’s individual image would also be changed. Previously, any commercial use of the player’s image depended on prior written authorization. Under the new proposal, authorization would be considered granted if the athlete did not formally submit an objection.

The conditions for delayed payments would also be less strict. The deadline for Memphis to suspend authorization for the use of his image would go from 15 to 40 days. The fine would be reduced from 10% to 5%, while monthly interest would drop from 1.5% to 1%.

Business and commercial exploitation

Corinthians would keep the possibility of seeking commercial opportunities involving Memphis. For this, the agreement established a minimum net profit guarantee for the player and rules for the distribution of amounts exceeding that floor.

In the previous contract, the club guaranteed Memphis 920,000 euros net, a figure currently equivalent to about R$ 5.5 million. Under the new negotiation, the guarantee would rise to R$ 15.4 million.

This minimum amount, however, would not include deals not approved by Corinthians, opportunities obtained directly by the player himself, contracts linked to sports equipment and clothing, or revenue from Red Bull. Ezze Seguros was mentioned among the exceptions during the negotiations, but Corinthians removed that provision.

Payment of the R$ 15.4 million guarantee would be divided into four stages:

The logic established was one of offsetting. If the deals obtained by Corinthians did not reach the minimum amount corresponding to each stage, the club would have to pay the difference. If revenues exceeded the projected amount, the surplus would be carried over to the following period.

The division of excess revenue would also be different. Memphis would be entitled to 80% of the net amounts exceeding the R$ 15.4 million guarantee. In the previous contract, Corinthians kept 40% of the net profit that exceeded 1.38 million euros, approximately R$ 8.4 million at the current exchange rate.

The club also managed to include more flexible mechanisms for handling possible delays in these payments. In addition, it was established that Memphis could not use the non-payment of these revenues as grounds to unilaterally terminate the contract for cause.

Another change removed a prerogative that previously existed: the player would no longer have the right to challenge the accounting of these revenues and appoint an independent accountant to carry out the review.

The new agreement would also oblige Memphis to accept any “good-faith business opportunity” presented by Corinthians that guaranteed minimum remuneration of R$ 700,000. During the talks, this floor was set at R$ 3 million, but it was reduced at the club’s request.

Marketing and commercial use of image

Memphis’s participation in Corinthians’ marketing activities was also part of the negotiation. The striker could take part in the Marketing Summit aimed at sponsors and advertisers, in addition to institutional campaigns and initiatives related to product promotion.

When he contributed creatively to a given action, he would be identified as “Creative & Fashion Advisor.” However, Memphis would not have his role published on Corinthians’ official website, as requested by the club.

The agreement also provided for restrictions related to sponsors. While a Corinthians commercial partner was using the striker’s image, Memphis could not sign contracts with companies competing with that brand.

The distribution of revenue from licensed products would also be changed. The player would receive 80% of the revenue obtained by Corinthians from items using his image, such as headbands, sweatbands, and wristbands. Official match and training shirts would be excluded from this rule. In the previous contract, Memphis’s share in these products was 50%.

For films, documentaries, and other audiovisual productions made jointly, the split would remain equal: 50% for Corinthians and 50% for the player.

On the other hand, an obligation existing in the previous deal would be removed. Memphis would no longer need to fulfill a minimum number of content deliveries to help the club with commercial prospecting. Among the previously planned activities were carousel posts, video recordings, meetings with fans, collabs, use of his image in promotional materials, and VIP appearances at partner events.

Benefits and structure offered to the player

The negotiated package also included a series of personal benefits. Among them was an allowance of up to R$ 250,000 per month for housing, transportation, and security expenses. Considering the full contractual period, the limit would reach R$ 6 million. This was one of the clauses Corinthians was considering removing shortly before announcing Memphis’s departure.

The previous contract was even more comprehensive in this regard. The club committed to a furnished residence at international standards, an apartment for the player’s adviser, 24-hour armed security, two armored vehicles with drivers, a private chef, and private health insurance.

For air travel, the new agreement provided for 12 round trips in business class over the two years. The number corresponded to half of what Memphis had initially requested, as the player wanted 12 trips per year.

The right to use an exclusive box at Neo Química Arena would also remain. The new feature would be the possibility of occasionally requesting a second space at the stadium, provided there was availability and the request was made in advance with justification linked to a commercial opportunity.

On the other hand, Corinthians removed from the agreement a provision that would allow Memphis to use Neo Química Arena to promote his own events. The clause initially negotiated gave the player two dates during the contract, with all costs under his responsibility and the right to keep all revenues in full. The use could involve concerts or sporting events and could even include the pitch.

Sporting bonuses

The bonus model would also undergo a transformation. In the previous deal, Memphis was entitled to R$ 4,725,603 for each title won by Corinthians, without distinction between competitions.

In the new proposal, the remuneration would be tied to up to 20% of the performance bonuses provided for in the sponsorship contract between Corinthians and Esportes da Sorte, or any company that might eventually take over the master sponsor spot.

The corresponding amounts would be:

To receive the full 20%, Memphis would need to be included in the squad list for at least half of the matches in the competition won. If that percentage was not reached, the bonus would be proportional to the number of matches.

In addition, there was a requirement related to effective participation on the field. The striker would need to play at least 45 minutes in half of the valid matches in the competition.

Memphis could also ask Corinthians for confirmation about the club’s receipt of the bonuses. If he did not receive a response within five days, he could consider that the amounts had in fact been paid to Corinthians.

Even if the sponsor applied discounts, advances, or reduced the amounts originally provided for, this would not lessen Corinthians’ obligation to pass on the corresponding amount to the player.

There was also a specific bonus for a possible Corinthians participation in the 2029 Club World Cup. Memphis would be entitled to 12.5% of the revenues actually received by the club from FIFA, including amounts related to participation, prize money, and rights linked to the tournament.

To be entitled to this payment, however, the player could not be under contract with another Brazilian club or another team participating in the same edition of the Club World Cup. It would also be necessary for him to have been included in the squad list for at least half of the matches in the competition that secured Corinthians’ qualification for the tournament. Below that percentage, the bonus would be reduced proportionally.

The contract also provided that non-payment of these bonuses could allow Memphis to take the matter to FIFA.

Penalties and possibility of departure

The conditions for a possible transfer were also revised.

If Memphis went to another Brazilian club on his own initiative or responsibility, the sporting compensation clause would remain set at R$ 120 million. For a transfer abroad, however, the amount would rise from five million to ten million euros, approximately R$ 59.6 million at the exchange rate used in the report.

The agreement would also allow the striker to unilaterally terminate the contract without presenting justification, provided he paid the same amounts stipulated for a transfer: R$ 120 million in the case of a Brazilian club or ten million euros for a foreign team.

Some guarantees present in the previous deal would be eliminated. One of them provided that Memphis would receive part of the money from a future sale: 50% of the net amount in a domestic transfer and 20% in an international deal.

The obligation for Corinthians to accept offers of ten million euros or R$ 150 million for the player would also disappear, under penalty of a fine of five million euros or R$ 30 million if it refused an offer meeting the criteria.

Another clause that would not be renewed allowed the contract to be terminated if Corinthians were relegated.

Accumulated debts

One of the most relevant points of the negotiation involved amounts Corinthians already owed Memphis under the previous contract.

The club would formally acknowledge a net debt of R$ 42,029,178, arising mainly from bonuses, signing bonuses, and rights related to the player’s image.

The breakdown of the debt would be:

Payment would be divided into four installments of R$ 10,507,294.50. The due dates were scheduled for January 2027, August 2027, January 2028, and May 2028, always on the last day of each indicated month.

This acknowledgment of debt, however, would not include all outstanding financial obligations. Employment-related amounts concerning June 2026 vacation pay, estimated at R$ 1,293,191.03 net, as well as the corresponding FGTS and the July 2026 termination amounts, including salary, proportional 13th salary, and termination FGTS, would remain separate.

Two installments relating to the previous image rights contract would also remain outside this payment plan.

The document also established a specific procedure for new delays. If any installment remained unpaid for more than 40 days, Memphis could formally notify Corinthians and grant another 10 days for the club to regularize the situation.

If payment was still not made after this period, the entire remaining balance would be accelerated and become due at once. A 5% fine would apply to the amount still owed, in addition to default interest of 1% per month, calculated from the original due dates.

Finally, the acknowledgment of debt would have the effect of replacing the previous agreements signed between Corinthians and Memphis specifically to deal with the debts covered by the new document.

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