Corinthians president blocks André exit, Milan threaten to go to FIFA | OneFootball

By Tiago Salazar

Osmar Stabile has decided not to proceed with the sale of midfielder André to Milan. The president of Corinthians chose not to sign the contract that would seal the transfer of the player to the Italian club. The deal was well underway last Saturday, but negotiations took a new turn with the president's refusal this Sunday.

Milan offered 17 million euros (R$ 103 million at the current exchange rate) for 70% of the player's rights, with 15 million euros fixed and another 2 million if certain goals are met while still at Corinthians. The remaining 30% belongs to the midfielder. Timão would also retain 20% of any future profit, and André would only travel to Italy in the middle of the year.

The negotiations were led by Marcelo Paz. The football director took the proposal to Corinthians' finance department, which viewed the figures positively. The same process was followed with Dorival Júnior, who, even before the Paulista semifinal, expressed interest in keeping the player, arguing that he would not have a suitable replacement. The transfer window, it is worth remembering, closes this Tuesday.

(Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians)

Even so, talks continued and the deal was set, with only Stabile's signature remaining. Upon learning the financial details of the negotiation, the president decided to block André's sale. Internally, the president's assessment is that the youngster is worth more than the amount offered by Milan.

The negative reaction from fans and the strong statements from Dorival also weighed on the Corinthians president's decision to block the young midfielder's departure. In a press conference last Saturday, the coach raised his tone and criticized the possible sale of the player. He emphasized that the club needs to “define what it wants” and made it clear that he does not want to “rebuild teams all the time.”

Fan criticism also led Marcelo Paz to speak up after the press conference to explain André's situation. The executive revealed the details of Milan's proposal but guaranteed that nothing was finalized, as it depended on Stabile's final decision. Even so, the executive highlighted the need to sell players to meet the 2026 budget.

The information about Stabile's refusal was first reported by journalist Jorge Nicola and confirmed by Gazeta Esportiva.

Milan threatens to go to Fifa

Corinthians and Milan have already exchanged emails and contract drafts, with almost all parties involved having signed—except, of course, for Osmar Stabile. Given this scenario, there is a possibility that the Italian club will take the case to Fifa, alleging unilateral breach of contract.

The Corinthians board, for its part, is not afraid of the legal repercussions of a possible move by Milan to Fifa, according to reports. Corinthians feels protected by the fact that president Osmar Stabile and current legal director Pedro Luis Soares did not sign the contract that would definitively seal André's sale.

Gazeta Esportiva contacted Dr. Domingos Zainaghi, a labor lawyer with a postgraduate degree in Sports Law, who explained whether Corinthians faces legal risks if Milan decides to go to Fifa. According to the professional, the entity analyzes whether there was legitimate acceptance by the club, that is, whether those who signed the agreement had the authority to do so.

Corinthians claims that only president Osmar Stabile could sign such a contract. “There is confusion now, because it is not so simple to claim that the person who signed did not have the authority. In law, there is the theory of appearance, that is, if everything led one to believe that the person signing could do so…”, he said.

“The evidence, such as letterhead, the position of the person who signed (lawyers, directors), the email to which the proposal was sent and the response, whether there was a meeting where the signatory participated beforehand, and whether, in similar cases, this person or people had already participated, even without the president,” he continued.

In this sense, the lawyer concluded that, although it is a complex situation, Corinthians still faces legal risks if Milan takes the case to Fifa.

André's rise

Developed in Timão’s youth academy, André has been gaining ground in Dorival Júnior’s team since last year and has established himself as a starter this season. In total, he has played 23 matches for the club, scoring four goals.

The midfielder’s contract with Corinthians is valid until the end of 2029. The release clause for foreign clubs is 100 million euros (R$ 606 million at the current exchange rate).

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