Corinthians announce signing of Zakaria Labyad | OneFootball

Zakaria Labyad has joined Corinthians, with the club announcing the 32-year-old, a naturalised Moroccan, on Friday via social media.

The club said in a statement that his deal runs until 31 December 2026, with an automatic extension to the end of 2027 if pre-set targets are met.

Corinthians had been waiting on the midfielder’s work visa before unveiling him, and are racing to have him available for the Paulistão quarter-finals.

Labyad arrives without a transfer fee, something viewed positively by the board. He had been a free agent since the end of 2025 after leaving Dalian Yingbo in China.

Talks started in 2025 but were halted by a transfer ban that prevented new registrations from August last year to January 2026.

A further plus for Corinthians was Labyad’s close relationship with Memphis Depay, the pair having shared a dressing room at PSV early last decade.

He has played in the Netherlands, Portugal, England and China. His standout season came at Utrecht in 2017/18, when he recorded 18 goals and nine assists in 39 Dutch league matches. In 2025 with the Chinese club he featured 25 times, scoring six and assisting four.

This window, which closes in March, Corinthians have also added centre-back Gabriel Paulista, full-backs Pedro Milans and Fabrizio Angileri, midfielders Matheus Pereira and Allan, and forward Kaio César. Goalkeeper João Ricardo of Fortaleza is expected to undergo medicals in March to finalise a move.

Source: Meu Timao