Jesse Lingard is closing in on the ninth club of his senior career, with the ex-Manchester United midfielder agreeing a surprise move to Brazil

Former Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard has agreed to sign for Brazilian club Corinthians. Lingard, 33, has been a free agent since his contract was terminated at FC Seoul in December.

He has held talks with a number of clubs about a potential move over the past three months. West Ham, Wolves and Genoa are among those to have discussed signing the England international.

But now, Lingard is closing in on a surprise move to Brazil. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Warrington-born ace has agreed to join Corinthians on a one-year contract with an option to extend.

It’s added that travel and medical is being scheduled for Lingard, who rejected a late approach from the MLS to sign for Corinthians, who boast ex-United forward Memphis Depay in their squad. Lingard and Depay were briefly team-mates at United during the latter’s time at the club between 2015 and 2017.

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Corinthians sit third in the Brazil Serie A table after winning two and drawing one of their opening four fixtures. They lost their first game of the 2026 season against Novorizontino on Saturday.

Former Arsenal defender Gabriel Paulista is among the other members of the Corinthians squad, with the Sao Paolo-based side looking to return to the top of Brazilian football following a 13th place finish last season.

They did, however, win Copa do Brasil, beating Vasco da Gama 2-1 in a two-legged final to win the tournament for the fourth time. Depay, who made just 53 appearances and scored seven goals during a turbulent 12 months at Old Trafford, proved to be the match-winner for Corinthians.

As for Lingard, Corinthians is set to be the ninth club of his senior career. He started out at United but was sent out on loan to Leicester, Birmingham and Brighton before making his first-team debut against Swansea in August 2014.

However, that was his only appearance for the Reds that season before he was sent out on loan again, this time to promotion-chasing Derby in February 2015. Lingard returned to United for the start of the following season and that was when he established himself as a key part of the senior squad at Old Trafford.

Indeed, Lingard made more than 200 appearances across five years before making the decision to leave the Reds in search of regular game time, after he became a back-up under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

He departed United on loan and signed for West Ham in January 2021 and Lingard shone at the Hammers, producing some excellent individual performances that put him on the brink of a place in the England squad for Euro 2020. During his short time at the London Stadium, he netted nine goals in 16 matches.

Though a potential permanent move to West Ham was on the table for Lingard, he remained at United to see out the last 12 months of his contract and exit the Reds as a free agent in 2022.

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Lingard ended up signing for Nottingham Forest upon their promotion to the Premier League but struggled for form and left the Midlands club at the end of the 2022/23 season.

Following his exit from The City Ground, Lingard spent nine months without a club before moving aboard for the first time in his career and agreeing a deal with South Korean club FC Seoul.

Lingard’s time at Seoul proved to be a huge success, with the midfielder scoring 19 goals and providing ten assists in 67 appearances for the South Korean side. But after less than two years there, it was mutually agreed that Lingard’s Seoul contract would be terminated in December 2025.