Memphis Depay wants to leave Brazil after Corinthians spell as multiple clubs table offers for ex-Man Utd attacker

The Netherlands international was linked with a return to Europe last summer, with Besiktas previously courting the Dutch forward after a breakdown in relationship between Memphis and Corinthians. Indeed, the forward skipped training last year over unpaid debt with the Dutch star owed £625,000 in bonuses, while they were expected to owe the former Manchester United man £1.25m in September 2025.

And yet despite the bonus disputes, Corinthians were keen to extend Memphis' contract, which expires in July. However, the 31-year-old is now hoping to leave Corinthians in pursuit of a new challenge.

A number of Gulf sides are hoping to lure him to the Middle East, with Shabab Al-Ahli reportedly interested in signing the all-time Dutch national team scorer. Al-Wasl are also rumoured to have made an offer for the player.

Memphis made Dutch football history in September last year when he scored his 51st international goal for the Oranje, surpassing Robin van Persie's previous record of 50 goals for the Netherlands national team. 

"I'm super proud and very glad I got past Robin. I thanked everyone in the dressing room," Depay said after setting the record. "I also want to thank old teammates like Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Arjen Robben, for example. They inspired me. The same goes for Patrick Kluivert. It was because of him that I wanted to reach the Dutch national team."

Memphis then took aim at his critics who had raised concerns about his consistency, adding: "People often say, 'What are we supposed to do with our striker position?' But we actually have a striker who scores a lot of goals. I try to let my feet do the talking; they're not going to get rid of me just yet."

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Additionally, Memphis holds the record for the most assists for the Netherlands national team having provided a brace of assists in their 4-0 win over Finland in October as Ronald Koeman's side eased to the 2026 World Cup.

Netherlands topped their qualification group with ease as they won six and drew two of their eight games, scoring 27 goals in the process. Of those, Memphis was directly involved in 12, scoring eight times, including a brace against Lithuania in September that saw the Corinthians star move past Van Persie as the nation's record scorer.

Koeman's men will take on Norway and Ecuador in the March international break as the gear up for the World Cup in the summer. Netherlands have been handed a navigable in North America later this year having been drawn alongside Japan, Tunisia, and one of Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, or Ukraine.

Memphis will hope to be featuring regularly in order to maintain his match fitness ahead of football's showpiece having started only 17 league games for Corinthians last season having previously revealed his "last dream" before retiring is to win the World Cup.

"My last dream as a player? Winning the World Cup," Depay revealed last April. "We came very close in 2014 in Brazil. I would like to continue to inspire the new generation. To show them that it is important to be yourself on and off the field. To be confident, to not think about how you are judged, to have your own character.

"We are entering a new era, with players who have this state of mind, and I think I have, in my own way, played a small part in that."

Having scored scoring six times and provided three assists for Corinthians in the 2025 Brasileirao season, Memphis will feel he can still do a job in one of Europe's top leagues as he looks to leave Brazil in the winter.

The Dutch star has ample experience playing across a number of European leagues having started his career with Eredivisie giants PSV before moving on to Manchester United in 2015. However, the forward struggled in England, making just 33 league appearances and scoring just twice before he left for Ligue 1 side Lyon in January 2017.

It was with the French side that Memphis really found his rhythm and having spent four-and-a-half years with OL, he moved to Barcelona in 2021, before swapping Camp Nou for the Wanda Metropolitano in January 2023, and then on to Corinthians.