Corinthians in talks to extend full-back’s loan at Série B club | OneFootball

Leo Maná’s future may continue to be away from Parque São Jorge. Loaned to Criciúma until next July 31, the right-back has come onto the radar of the Santa Catarina club, which has begun talks with Corinthians to extend the player’s loan until the end of the season. The information was first reported by ge.globo and confirmed by Central do Timão.

Corinthians’ board confirmed that Criciúma approached the club to discuss a possible renewal of the deal. In addition to the Santa Catarina side, two other clubs competing in Brazil’s Série B have also shown interest in signing the defender.

Photo: João Vitor Pereira/Criciúma

Internally, Corinthians is not considering the possibility of reintegrating Leo Maná into the squad at this time. The coaching staff’s assessment is that the full-back needs to continue getting minutes and experience with another team before a possible new opportunity at the club.

Currently, Fernando Diniz has Matheuzinho as his main option at right-back, in addition to Pedro Milans. Youngster João Vitor Jacaré is also part of the plans and is in the final stage of recovery from an injury, increasing the competition for the position.

Developed in Corinthians’ youth academy, Leo Maná is under contract with the club until the end of 2029. This season, the player has made eight appearances for Criciúma. His last outing came on April 19, in the match against Fortaleza in Série B.

Criciúma’s interest in keeping the right-back grew stronger after Marcinho, the starter in the position, suffered an injury. With the squad setback, the Santa Catarina club began to view Leo Maná’s stay as an alternative to cover the absence in the upcoming rounds of the national competition.

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