Corinthians set to hand U17 prospect pro deal, map out career plan | OneFootball

Midfielder Léo Rodrigues, born in 2010 and regarded as one of the top prospects in Corinthians’ youth academy, is highly rated internally by Fernando Diniz’s coaching staff and is well regarded by the professional department, which has not ruled out promoting him to the first team later this season. The information was reported by the Meu Timão outlet.

As reported by TMC on June 25 and confirmed at the time by Central do Timão, Corinthians is negotiating a three-year professional contract with the youngster. Central do Timão has learned that talks for the signing of the new deal, which is expected to run until mid-2029, are advanced and a conclusion should come over the next few days.

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel/Agência Corinthians

At present, his youth contract with Corinthians runs until November 2027. In the away win over Vasco da Gama in the Brazilian U-17 Championship last Wednesday, Léo Rodrigues was brought on by coach Guilherme Nascimento midway through the second half and made his first appearance since June 1, when the Filhos do Terrão drew 1-1 with São Paulo at Estádio do Canindé in the second round of the national competition. In that particular derby, he scored Timãozinho’s goal.

Since then, Léo had been recovering from bone edema and missed nine matches for the team this season – in the Paulista Championship and the Brazilian Championship. Last year, he was one of the standout players of the U-15 team in their Mina Cup, Paulista Cup, and Copa Votorantim titles. The youngster has also earned call-ups to the Brazil U-15 national team and recently won the Liga Evolução title in the category with the Seleção, alongside defensive midfielder Lucas Lopes, also from Corinthians’ academy. Argentina was the opponent in the final.

In 2026, the midfielder was promoted to the U-17 team. With the squad coached by Guilherme Nascimento, he has recorded three goals in seven matches this season. Despite his young age, he has also already logged minutes with the U-20 side, where he has made three appearances. The youngster caught Fernando Diniz’s attention after taking part in training sessions with the professional squad at CT Dr. Joaquim Grava.

As with the plan for Léo Rodrigues, Corinthians intends to adopt the same approach with other academy prospects, according to reporting by Meu Timão. Corinthians U-17 returns to action this Saturday (18), when it will visit Barcelona Esportivo Capela at 11 a.m. (Brasília time) at Anacleto Campanella in São Caetano do Sul, in the ABC Paulista region, for its ninth match of the category’s Paulista Championship. At the moment, Alvinegro is second in Group 12 with 19 points – six wins, one draw, and one loss – with 30 goals scored and 10 conceded.

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