Corinthians want to sell Bidon after national team call-up

The call-up of midfielder Breno Bidon to the Brazilian national team has lit a green light for Corinthians' board, which now sees the opportunity as a fast track to make a sale necessary to balance the club's accounts.

Value appreciation and intent to sell

According to journalist Samir Carvalho on Canal UOL's De Primeira show, Corinthians' board "saw dollar signs" with the player's appreciation in value. The club is using intermediaries and agents, including a professional hired specifically for deals outside of Brazil, mainly in Europe, to try to close the transfer. Expectations for a sale have increased significantly within the institution, and the player is officially on the market.

Delicate financial scenario

Corinthians faced difficulties in balancing their books and missed the target of raising a net 25 million euros (around R$ 148 million) in the last mid-year transfer window. Negotiations for the sale of Bidon and forward André fell through. In Bidon's case, Turkey's Besiktas signaled an 18 million euro offer but did not formalize it in time, leading to the end of negotiations. Nottingham Forest also made an offer for André, but no agreement was reached.

Strategies to cover the deficit

With a growing deficit that reached R$ 246 million in the first half of the year, the club is studying options to make up for the shortfall. One of the alternatives analyzed by the Financial Department is to anticipate up to 30% of the revenues projected for 2027. Another possibility under discussion is an agreement to receive the money now and only release the player at the end of the year. The 2026 budget projected a revenue of R$ 151 million from the transfer of registration rights and FIFA solidarity mechanism contributions, but by June the balance was only R$ 2.978 million.

Transfer windows and alternatives

Corinthians claimed they chose not to sell players at the beginning of the year to prioritize the Libertadores and "value assets," but the financial department counted on generating R$ 75 million net from player sales, a goal that was not met. Now, the board is considering taking advantage of the Portuguese transfer window, which remains open until the 15th, as an alternative for a quicker negotiation. The club has three active transfer bans, which prevent signings but not player sales.

Comparison with rivals

Corinthians' financial scenario contrasts with that of rivals like Flamengo. While the São Paulo club closed the first half of the year with R$ 2.2 billion in association debt and R$ 640 million for the Neo Química Arena, Flamengo showed higher revenue and lower debt. From January to June, Flamengo grossed R$ 839 million, compared to Corinthians' R$ 426 million. The disparity in revenue and the short-term debt of R$ 803 million put Corinthians in a critical situation to honor their financial commitments.

With information from UOL, ge, Estadão.