Jesse Lingard to link up with former team-mate Memphis Depay as ex-Man Utd star closes in on shock transfer

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Former Manchester United star Jesse Lingard is reportedly in "advanced talks" over a transfer to Brazilian side Corinthians. The 33-year-old is set for a new challenge after leaving FC Seoul at the end of last year and now looks to be heading to South America. If the transfer goes ahead it would see Lingard link up with former Manchester United team-mate Memphis Depay.

Lingard a free agent after FC Seoul exit

Lingard said a fond farewell to FC Seoul in December 2025 after the forward agreed to a mutual termination of his contract. He has been searching for a new club since then and has been linked with several teams. Wrexham and Italy appeared to be potential destinations for Lingard, while reports also linked the former England star with a move to Brazil to join Remo. According to ESPN, Lingard now looks set to join Corinthians in Brazil instead.

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Lingard tipped to join Memphis at Corinthians

Corinthians are said to be in advanced talks with Lingard over a transfer. The Brazilian side plan to offer a one-year contract and already have a financial agreement with the 33-year-old. If the deal does go through, Lingard will play alongside Memphis once again. The two spent time together at Old Trafford, playing 31 games together during the 2015/16 season. Memphis joined Corinthians in 2024 and explained why he had been tempted to the club.

“Why I signed is very simple for me. I grew up in the Netherlands with African roots, know the competitions in Europe and played for many teams. As I got older, I asked myself: What can I do to become happier? That is staying close to my feeling. Everything in my life serves a purpose. This adventure made my heart happy," he told reporters.

"The energy I got, the efforts of the club, the reception of the supporters… I haven’t experienced this before. Maybe we’re playing at a higher level in Europe, but you can’t deny that the authentic football comes from Brazil. This is the Mecca of football.”

Lingard theory emerges

Talk of Lingard potentially moving to Remo led to speculation about his future. South American football expert Tim Vickery told talkSPORT it could have been a way to flush out interest from other Brazilian sides: "He's in talks with a club called Remo, which means rowing loads of the big Brazilian clubs started life as rowing clubs. Anyway, it is a little bit left field.

“Remo are right up in the north of Brazil, Belem, which is actually the Portuguese translation of Bethlehem. There was once a Brazilian player who went to play there, and he said, 'I am so honoured to be playing in the very place where [Jesus] Christ was born.' And it had to be explained that that really wasn't the case. 

“But anyway, what I wonder is going on here, because Remo are newly promoted and everyone expects them to go straight back down. Three rounds into the Brazilian championship, they've got two draws and a defeat. It's a hard slog that you're going there, Jesse Lingard. If you're going to go there, it's a hard slog. First, because you're going to be battling against relegation all year.

“Secondly, because look at the map. Now, the heartland of Brazilian football is in the southeast. Rio, Sao Paulo, and Belo Horizonte. Remo, where they are, almost every away game is like a four-hour plane journey. Brazil is vast. So there are easier ways to earn your money than signing for Remo.

“What I wonder, this is putting on my Dick Dastardly and his snickering hound hat, because what I would do in the circumstances is draw the negotiation out a little bit, see if anyone else comes through. Maybe there'll be more Brazilian clubs...That's what I would do in his situation.”

Jesse Lingard FC Seoul 2025

What comes next?

Lingard has been posted videos of himself in training while he waits to secure his next move and will surely be eager to return to action. Corinthians' next match is against Novorizontino, in the semi-finals of the Campeonato Paulista on Saturday.