Corinthians eye Hugo Souza, but aim to keep current squad | OneFootball

Hugo Souza was, once again, a central figure in Corinthians' qualification to the Copa do Brasil final. Besides making important saves during regular time, the goalkeeper saved two penalties in the semifinal against Cruzeiro and was crucial in taking Timão to the final. It's no surprise that he has attracted interest from other clubs.

Corinthians' football executive, Fabinho Soldado, admitted that Hugo Souza has been receiving inquiries to leave the club, but did not mention the names of interested teams. According to SkySports, Milan has made the goalkeeper their main target in case they fail to reach an agreement to renew with the Frenchman Mike Maignan, the current starter for the Italian team.

“Hugo's situation is quite moving because it goes beyond football and touches on the human aspect. A player who had a spectacular foundation at Flamengo, fluctuated a lot during his professional time, but even that didn't take away his talent. You have to have a lot of conviction, believe in the human being and the professional. He fell to the Second Division in the Portuguese Championship, and it was a decision based heavily on what we knew of the athlete, what we needed for the squad, and the management's personality in supporting such a signing,” he told getv.

“I remember that, at the time, we were criticized and we accepted it, we know how it works, but we believed he could become this player. Of course, the credit is 100% his, he dedicated himself, he's in a different mindset. He reached the Brazilian National Team, attracts the interest of other big clubs. He has inquiries,” admitted Fabinho.

Despite his prominence, Hugo Souza is not on Corinthians' list of 'non-negotiable' players – just like no other player in the squad. In a delicate financial situation, Fabinho Soldado admitted the possibility of selling assets to keep the cash flow in check but emphasized that Timão prioritizes maintaining the squad.

“Our idea is to maintain the squad. We don't set a value on players, we don't have prices. But of course, due to the club's entire financial situation, at some point we will need to make a sale. We will wait and see what the best action will be to consider selling a player. But the important thing now is to lower the adrenaline, we made it through, but we have two more important games to crown this beautiful campaign,” concluded the executive.

Hugo Souza quickly identified with Corinthians

Hugo Souza was signed by Corinthians in June 2024 to replace Carlos Miguel, who was sold to English football. The Corinthians goalkeeper quickly identified with the fans and proved decisive early in his time at the club, when he saved three consecutive penalties in the Copa Sudamericana round of 16 that year.

In the current season, Hugo shone again in winning the Campeonato Paulista, saving a penalty from Raphael Veiga in the final. With his journey at Corinthians, Hugo Souza caught the attention of Carlo Ancelotti, who started including the goalkeeper in the Brazilian National Team lists. He already has four call-ups.

Hugo is even among the top five penalty savers in Corinthians' history, occupying the fourth spot. Out of 33 penalty kicks, two went wide and ten were saved by the current number 1 of Timão. Four of these saves happened in 2025, placing him ahead of Dida, the 2000 Club World Cup champion.

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