Internacional cool on Pedro Raul, Corinthians unlikely to get bid | OneFootball

Internacional has decided not to move forward with talks for Pedro Raul. The 29-year-old striker was once again mentioned as a possible signing for the club from Rio Grande do Sul, but he is not expected to receive an official offer, which leaves Corinthians still looking for a solution to reduce its wage bill. The information was first reported by VAVEL.

Inter’s interest had resurfaced last week. Abel Braga, Internacional’s technical director, even contacted the center-forward directly to express the club’s desire to have him. However, the talks later lost momentum, and the club chose to walk away from the negotiations.

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel / Agência Corinthians

Besides Internacional, Pedro Raul was also approached by two other clubs competing in Brazil’s Serie A. Vitória and Remo sought information from Corinthians about the possibility of a loan move. The striker, however, indicated that he prefers to remain at a club considered more prominent, which is why those alternatives did not progress.

Pedro Raul was signed by Corinthians in 2024, during Augusto Melo’s administration. To acquire 100% of the player’s economic rights, the club agreed to pay US$ 5 million to Toluca of Mexico, an amount equivalent to around R$ 24.5 million at the exchange rate at that time.

Initially, the payment had been divided into four installments, with two scheduled for 2024 and the other two for the following year. However, after Corinthians fell behind on its initial financial commitments, the clubs renegotiated the deal. With the revised terms, the minimum cost of the operation rose to US$ 8 million, approximately R$ 42.8 million at the exchange rate at the time. The new amount was split into nine payments, with full settlement scheduled between 2025 and 2028.

Despite the heavy investment, the center-forward’s performances fell short of expectations. In 64 matches for Corinthians, Pedro Raul scored only four goals and provided four assists. This season, the striker has yet to score. His two assists came against Barra in the Copa do Brasil and against São Paulo in a derby in the Campeonato Paulista.

With no transfer currently in progress, Pedro Raul remains available to Fernando Diniz for the remainder of the schedule. Corinthians’ next match will be this Thursday against Remo in the 19th round of the Brazilian Championship. The game will be played at Neo Química Arena, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

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