Vancouver Whitecaps defender Derek Cornelius has completed a permanent transfer to Swedish side Malmo FF.
Cornelius hasn’t played for the Whitecaps since June 2021 after joining Greek side Panetolikos and now departs the Canadian side permanently for an undisclosed fee.
“This agreement made sense for all parties involved and came together fairly quickly after Derek informed us he wanted to stay in Europe,” Whitecaps sporting director Axel Schuster said in a club press release.
“We are thankful to Derek for his service to the club and wish him all the best for the future.”
Cornelius joined the Whitecaps in 2019 from Serbian side FK Javor Ivanjica, following spells in Germany with VfB Lubeck and VfR Neumunster.
The 25-year-old went on to make 37 appearances for Vancouver across all competitions, scoring once.
At international level, Cornelius has 14 senior caps to his name for Canada and was named on John Herdman’s roster for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, though he failed to make the field.
Cornelius is the second player from Major League Soccer to move to Malmo this winter alongside former NYCFC right-back Anton Tinnerholm, who returns to the club in his homeland after five seasons in New York.
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