Sporting Alert: Doumbia Race Heats Up, Venezia Could Inflate Price

The transfer fee for Issa Doumbia, a midfield target for Sporting, could escalate with new contenders entering the race for the 22-year-old midfielder. Newcastle and Everton were already known to be closely monitoring the Venezia player, and now, A BOLA understands, Italian suitors Juventus and Fiorentina have joined the fray.

Doumbia concluded the season as an Italian Serie B champion, helping Venezia secure promotion to the top flight. Individually, he stood out as one of the key figures in the second-tier's best team, featuring in 37 matches (plus one in the Coppa Italia), starting 36 of them. He netted eight league goals (two in the cup) and provided five assists.

These statistics underscore the Italian U21 international's importance to the Venetian side, explaining the burgeoning interest from major clubs like Sporting, as well as those in England and, naturally, Italy, where Roma was also reportedly keen on the midfielder.

Benfica's interest was also reported, but Sporting had already made their move, presenting contract terms for a five-year deal to the player and initiating negotiations with Venezia. The Italian club initially set their asking price at no less than €15 million, but as interest in the midfielder intensified, they began to target €20 million. With the emergence of new and significant suitors, the price could inflate further, potentially exceeding €25 million, which might prompt Sporting to re-evaluate their position in this pursuit.

Discussions haven't stalled, and a new round of negotiations is expected in the coming days. However, the increased competition is undeniably pushing Venezia's valuation to a level that Alvalade might soon deem excessively high.