Brazilian club Corinthians have expressed their confidence that they would be able to sign Elias before the international transfer window shuts down on Monday. Corinthians have been involved in negotiations with the midfielder, who is currently playing for Portuguese outfit Sporting Lisbon. He was on loan at Flamengo last season and he has also been looking at as a possible signing by the likes of São Paulo. It is believed that Corinthians have made an offer of € 4 million for the midfielder, but there are still some details left to be ironed out in the deal.

The club, though, are confident that they will be able to complete the signing before this transfer window since it would help them do well in the Brazilian Serie A. After winning the Copa Libertadores a few years ago, Corinthians have been struggling for form. The presence of former Brazil national team manager Mano Menezes, though, has helped them attract a lot of quality players, which is going to help them along way into rebuilding the team. The Brazilian Championship for the new season starts in the middle of April.

This will not be the first time Elias place for Corinthians since he had already represented the club from 2008 to 2010. He has also played for Spanish outfit Atletico Madrid, while representing the national team for 13 times. A return to domestic football, though, is expected to hurt his chances of being in the national team squad for the upcoming World Cup 2014. Still, it is understood that the player is keen on the move.

“The commitment of Corinthians was very large and the probability is quite large in achieving the business. I hope everything goes well,” said the Corinthians Director of Football, Ronaldo Ximenes. The club finished third in the group stages of the Paulista Championship.