"Rodrigo Mora? Only one player asked me to leave..."

FC Porto kicks off their league campaign this Sunday, beginning their title defense against Alverca.

The match takes place with nearly a month of the transfer window still open, and Francesco Farioli admits this could be a distraction for players. He assures that the club is prepared for whatever may come.

"The transfer market is always a big puzzle, with many pieces moving. It's a mix between a puzzle and a chess game, where we have to be very attentive to possible moves. We need to adjust if someone leaves, or anticipate a departure with the arrival of another player," he began.

"I believe 90 or 95 percent of the players want to stay here, but of course, others will want to leave to develop and get more playing time. We'll see what happens in the coming days, and we are working with clear focus and the desire to maintain our level of ambition and competitiveness in the league and the Champions League," he added.

The coach was, however, directly questioned about Rodrigo Mora, who was close to leaving at the end of the last transfer window and subsequently didn't get the playing time he desired. Mora is currently attracting interest from several clubs, notably Galatasaray.

"I'll be very honest: only one player has come to speak directly with me about the possibility of leaving. And there's another I know wants to leave. But neither of them is Mora. I won't discuss scenarios because the market noise already exists, and it can be a distraction. But everyone is aligned, even the one who asked to leave, and that's what allows me to sleep very well," he revealed.

"The ideal world doesn't exist, but the players we have had a great pre-season. We are ready for the start of the season and to deliver the level that the fans demand," he summarized, still on the topic of the transfer market.