Corinthians president says Yuri Alberto stays, sets asking price | OneFootball

Corinthians president Osmar Stabile commented on Yuri Alberto’s situation and the possibility of the striker being transferred in the next transfer window. In an interview with TMC, the executive said the club does not intend to negotiate the sale of the No. 9 and revealed the amount it would demand for the share of the economic rights owned by Timão.

The topic gained traction in recent weeks after statements from the player himself about his desire to play in European football. Despite the speculation, Stabile showed confidence that the striker will stay and highlighted the player’s connection with the club.

Photo: Marcos Ribolli

According to the president, the board believes the buzz around a possible departure may have been influenced by the player’s camp, but he stressed that Yuri remains committed to the team.

“Yuri was led by his agent to say that (that he wanted to leave Corinthians). Yuri is a good kid, always smiling. The most important thing for a player is to keep the drive to run and help his teammates; he never stopped contributing, he always came off exhausted, so we saw a great deal of dedication. What may have happened was something related to his agent. He will stay with us, I’m absolutely sure of it.”

He then explained that Corinthians owns only part of the striker’s economic rights and set the minimum amount to open negotiations.

“There isn’t, no (any chance of selling Yuri). Corinthians has a percentage, and there is a value set for that percentage: 20 million euros. If it comes, we’ll let him go. If they don’t want to pay that, they can pay the release clause as well. Yuri stays!”

Currently, Corinthians owns 45% of Yuri Alberto’s economic rights. The remainder is split between Zenit of Russia, which holds 50%, and agent André Cury, who owns 5%.

In addition to addressing the striker’s situation, Osmar Stabile also spoke about talks regarding Memphis Depay’s stay. The Dutchman’s contract remains an internal topic, mainly because of the club’s financial situation.

The executive said he is waiting for a decision from the player in order to assess the feasibility of a new agreement.

“Memphis has always said he would take a pay cut. We hope he gives us a figure we can work with so we can see whether we are in a position to do it. Corinthians currently has financial problems, and we have to solve them. There are the expenses of the women’s team, the youth academy… the cost is very high. The trend is to reduce the debt by the end of the year.”

He then reinforced that the No. 10’s future will depend on the terms presented by the player himself.

“It will depend a lot on him. It doesn’t depend so much on Corinthians; it depends on what he offers us so we can know whether we can make it happen or not.”

While monitoring market movements, Corinthians is working internally to keep players considered important to the squad managed by Fernando Diniz. The next transfer window in Brazilian football will open on July 20 and remain open until September 11.

The black-and-white club’s board is also seeking financial alternatives to make Memphis Depay’s stay possible, including the possibility of new commercial agreements and sponsorships aimed at the project involving the Dutch striker.

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