Sporting on alert: José Fonte pushes Sunderland to sign Catamo

Sunderland are set to step up their pursuit of Sporting winger Geny Catamo in January. According to A BOLA, the key driving force behind the Black Cats' interest is José Fonte, the former Portugal international who now serves as assistant manager to Régis Le Bris at the Stadium of Light.

With an intimate knowledge of Portuguese football after hanging up his boots at Casa Pia at the end of last season, Fonte is convinced the Sporting No. 10 could play a crucial role in turning Sunderland's fortunes around, with the club currently sitting 20th and bottom of the Premier League.

It marks a stark contrast to their dream 2025/26 campaign, in which Sunderland defied relegation odds to secure a historic seventh-placed finish in the top flight and qualify for the Europa League.

The potential move reignites interest from the summer transfer window, when Sunderland tabled a bid exceeding €30 million, which with add-ons approached €40 million without quite reaching that threshold. Sporting's board rejected the approach, standing firm on their €40 million valuation.

For the 25-year-old Mozambique international, the financial lure was clear: the salary on offer in England was five times his current earnings at the José Alvalade.

That same €40 million price tag remains the benchmark for any potential departure, although Sporting's priority is securing the winger's long-term future. To that end, the Lisbon giants have already submitted a contract extension offer through to 2031, with his current deal running until 2029 and carrying a €60 million release clause.

Brushing off the transfer speculation, Geny enjoyed a bright start to the campaign, registering three assists and two goals in his first five matches. A minor dip in form followed, seeing him drop to the bench against Casa Pia.

Introduced for the final 28 minutes, he still managed to find the net in stoppage time, calmly rolling the ball into an unguarded net after opposing goalkeeper Patrick Sequeira had ventured forward in desperation.

Sporting are well aware that Sunderland could reignite their pursuit. That threat, alongside the likelihood of Nestory Irankunda receiving an Australia call-up for the Asian Cup in January, may push the Portuguese champions into making moves of their own in the winter window.