Corinthians near Memphis Depay stay, unlikely to face Internacional | OneFootball

Negotiations between Corinthians and Memphis Depay over the 32-year-old forward staying at the club until December 2028 have progressed in the last few hours. The information was first published by UOL Esporte and confirmed by Central do Timão. According to the outlet’s report, the new contract is expected to be signed this Wednesday (5). The previous deal expired on July 31.

In the early hours of this Tuesday (4), the No. 10 for the Dutch national team and Corinthians landed, along with his staff and other representatives, at Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo to finalize the last details of his contract extension. In the afternoon, he underwent medical exams at a private clinic in São Paulo and, if approved, will be clear to sign his renewal with Timão.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca and Marco Galvão/Agência Corinthians

According to UOL, the meeting between Corinthians and the player’s representatives on Tuesday was productive, after some hurdles involving parts of the draft of the new contract. The Dutchman’s staff softened some of their previous demands, which ended up convincing president Osmar Stabile to give a positive signal for the talks to continue, despite pressure from political factions within the club against a renewal.

Sources linked to Corinthians said the final details of the player’s new contract are being wrapped up. As mentioned, the signing and official announcement of the renewal should take place this Wednesday (4). The reports from the medical exams carried out by Memphis Depay this afternoon will be sent to Timão’s head of medical department, Dr. Ricardo Galotti, and later analyzed by the club’s health and performance professionals.

Central do Timão has learned that the player’s presence on the field in the match against Internacional on Thursday night (6), at 8:00 p.m. Brasília time, in the second leg of the 2026 Copa do Brasil round of 16 at Neo Química Arena, is considered unlikely, since he has not played since June, when he featured for the Netherlands national team at the 2026 World Cup. Even so, the player has been keeping himself in shape, as he has been working with Diego Pereira, Corinthians’ fitness coach between July 2024 and April 2025, who worked with the athlete during part of his time at Parque São Jorge.

To remain at Corinthians, Memphis had to lower his salary demands and readjust to the club’s financial reality. In recent weeks, both sides exchanged different proposals until reaching terms closer to a consensus. In the most recent offer presented by the Dutchman, part of the compensation would be tied to commercial activities developed in partnership with Corinthians. The proposal also includes performance bonuses at values lower than those established in the previous contract.

It is worth noting that, even with three active transfer bans — two from FIFA and one from the CBF — Corinthians can register the player’s new contract, since this is not a new signing, but rather an extension of his current deal. The club’s debt of just over R$ 40 million to the Dutchman, related to bonuses for targets achieved under the current contract, will be split into four semiannual installments, which will begin to be paid in February 2027.

Memphis Depay at the World Cup

In three games at the biggest national-team tournament in the world (all appearances off the bench), he recorded one assist and 51 minutes on the field — Japan (2–2, 20 minutes), Sweden (5–1, 18 minutes played and one assist), and Tunisia (3–1, 13 minutes played). In the match that resulted in the Netherlands’ elimination, against Morocco on penalties on June 25, the No. 10 did not even come off the bench for the team, then coached by Ronald Koeman.

Memphis Depay’s current form

Corinthians’ No. 10 is having a season below expectations. In 14 games for Timão in 2026 (11 as a starter), he has one goal and one assist. Between late March and the end of May, Memphis was sidelined as he recovered from a grade 2 muscle injury suffered in a match against Flamengo in Itaquera, in the eighth round of the Brasileirão.

Between the injury diagnosis and the start of the World Cup, Memphis Depay played in only two matches for Corinthians, one as a substitute (Atlético-MG — Brasileirão) and the other as a starter (Platense-ARG — Conmebol Libertadores), but he was substituted by Fernando Diniz right at halftime.

Memphis Depay’s numbers for Corinthians

Signed in September 2024 after not having his contract renewed by Atlético de Madrid of Spain, Memphis Depay arrived at Corinthians and immediately played a key role in the team’s surge in the previous Brasileirão campaign (from the relegation zone to the Libertadores qualifying stage), scoring seven goals and providing one assist in 11 matches in the national tournament.

Last season and at the start of this one, he was decisive in the title wins in the Campeonato Paulista (2025), Copa do Brasil (2025), and Supercopa do Brasil (2026), totaling two assists in those finals and playing an important role in the earlier knockout rounds. Wearing the Corinthians shirt, he has 20 goals and 15 assists in 79 matches — 40 wins, 18 draws, and 21 losses — a 58.23% success rate.

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