Nottingham Forest have accepted a key Corinthians condition in their pursuit of André, with the Brazilian club now increasingly confident the midfielder will be sold.
Forest are prepared to buy the 20-year-old this summer and wait until 2027 to actually have him in England. André would remain with Corinthians until the end of the Brazilian season.
That’s according to Globo Esporte, who say Forest have already told Corinthians they are happy with that arrangement.
It removes one potential obstacle from negotiations, although the biggest one remains. The two clubs still need to agree on money.
Forest agree to wait for André
Corinthians president Osmar Stabile has now publicly confirmed that keeping André until the end of the year is part of the club’s position.
Speaking to ESPN Brazil, he explained that Corinthians cannot afford to weaken manager Fernando Diniz’s squad while they are still fighting for silverware.
“Today, what we’re saying is that if there is any deal, André should remain until the end of the year. That’s necessary,” Stabile said.
“We don’t want the team to struggle. We still want to win a competition this year. Now we have a competitive team and we’re going to work very hard to become champions this year.”
“The idea is to keep him here with the team. We can’t dismantle it.”
That could have been a difficult condition for Forest so close to the end of the English window. Globo Esporte’s information suggests they’ve accepted it.
If an agreement is reached, Forest would therefore secure André now but only welcome him to England in 2027.
Corinthians now expect sale
There’s also more optimism at Corinthians than there was when Milan tried to sign André earlier this year. Globo Esporte say his departure is now considered “likely” at the Brazilian club.
Diniz and his coaching staff are already taking the possibility of a sale into account. But that doesn’t mean an agreement is in place.
Stabile said that Corinthians were still waiting for an effective offer from Nottingham Forest.
“The first proposal came verbally. We asked them to make it official and they were supposed to do that by today, but I don’t know when it will happen,” he said.
“It could arrive by Monday at the latest so we can close it within the window. We’re waiting for an effective offer by the end of the afternoon.”
This differs slightly from previous information from ESPN Brazil, who had reported Forest made a €12m (£10.4m) official offer which Corinthians rejected.
Either way, everyone agrees Forest’s next move has not yet landed. Stabile reiterated that point later in the interview: “The only negotiation we have is André, and the offer is going to arrive. So far, it hasn’t.”
Money is now the big obstacle
Globo Esporte also report a different set of figures to those which have circulated in Brazil over the past few days.
Their information is that Corinthians want £15m (€17.3m) guaranteed plus another £6m (€6.9m) in bonuses. That would take the potential package to £21m (€24.2m).
Forest have already indicated they won’t reach those demands. We covered that Corinthians were seeking a package worth up to €20m (£17.3m), including €15m (£13m) guaranteed and two separate sets of bonuses.
With different figures circulating, the exact structure clearly remains part of the negotiations. What is becoming clearer is everything around it.
Forest are prepared to let André stay in Brazil until the end of 2026. Corinthians want and need to make a sale, and the club now see this particular transfer as probable.
Forest still need to put an acceptable financial package on the table, but one of Corinthians’ biggest sporting demands has already been dealt with.
