Sporting and Al Ahli seek consensus on Trincão deal

Sporting continues to negotiate with Saudi club Al Ahli for the transfer of Francisco Trincão, as reported by A BOLA. Both parties are currently working towards an agreement, with figures hovering around €45M — the amount the Lions are seeking to release the creative forward.

The left-footed player is currently on vacation after participating in the World Cup, where he experienced disappointment, only featuring for 26 minutes in the match against Uzbekistan. Initially, his goal was to return to the Premier League to erase the somewhat underwhelming impression he left during his time in England (when he represented Wolverhampton on loan from Barcelona). However, the astronomical figures put on the table by the club, whose sporting director is Portuguese Rui Pedro Braz, have made him reconsider, presenting a financial offer that is virtually irresistible.

Adding weight to a potential move to Saudi Arabia is the fact that Jorge Jesus is the new national team coach. Knowing that the 71-year-old manager is deeply familiar with the football played in that region, any potential barrier to calling up players from that league to the national squad is removed.

The 26-year-old from Viana renewed his contract with Sporting in March of this year, extending his deal until 2030 and maintaining a release clause of €60M. However, the deal could now materialize for a slightly lower sum, though without significant concessions from Alvalade.

Trincão was the most utilized player by Rui Borges in the 2025/26 season, featuring in 54 matches, scoring 13 goals, and providing 15 assists, accumulating a total of 4062 minutes in a Sporting shirt, excluding his commitments with Portugal. He will be a difficult player to replace for the Lions' coach, who, nonetheless, is fully aware that Portuguese clubs are financially compelled to sell assets each transfer window.