Corinthians eye up Brazilian defender available after two seasons in Turkey

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Central do Timão

·7 de enero de 2026

Corinthians eye up Brazilian defender available after two seasons in Turkey

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Although still punished with a transfer ban by FIFA, Corinthians remains attentive to the market in search of strengthening its squad for the 2026 season. According to information from ge.globo, the Alvinegro is in talks with center-back Gabriel Paulista, 35, who terminated his contract with Besiktas, from Turkey, this Tuesday (6), after two seasons.

A Corinthians fan at heart, the defender has already expressed his desire to play for the Alvinegro in interviews and on social media. Although, internally, according to the report, the position is not a priority for reinforcement in 2026, the athlete fits the club's profile for possible signings: players free on the market who do not generate signing costs.

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Photo: Reproduction/Instagram Besiktas

His contract with Besiktas was supposed to end only in 2027, which made a possible negotiation with Corinthians difficult. In two seasons in Turkish football, he played 45 games, with one goal and three assists. However, now free on the market, the player, according to ge.globo, would be willing to make concessions to sign with the club from Parque São Jorge.

It is worth remembering that, in addition to the FIFA punishment for a debt of R$ 40 million with Santos Laguna, from Mexico, for the signing of defender Félix Torres in January 2024, Corinthians is also seeking to overturn the transfer ban from the CBF and, in fact, made the early payment of the third installment of the agreement with creditors at the National Dispute Resolution Chamber (CNRD), a body of the CBF.

ge.globo also reported that Ecuadorian Félix Torres also has an undefined future at Corinthians. The Alvinegro wants to negotiate the defender in order to reduce its payroll and recover part of the investment made in his signing exactly two years ago.

Between August and December 2026, Félix Torres lost his place at Corinthians and played in only two matches under coach Dorival Júnior. In addition, during this period, he was called up by the Ecuadorian National Team, but played in only one match. Currently, the club from Parque São Jorge has the following players for the position, in addition to the number 3: Gustavo Henrique, André Ramalho, Cacá, and João Pedro Tchoca.

Revealed at Vitória, where he made his professional debut in 2010 and was sold in 2013, Gabriel Paulista also played, besides Besiktas, for the following clubs in Europe: Villarreal, Spain (2013/2014), Arsenal, England (2014/2015 to 2016/2017), Valencia (2017/2018 to 2022/2023), and Atlético de Madrid (2023/2024). The last two are from Spain.

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