Sporting CP defender emerges as Manchester City right-back target for 2026 | OneFootball

Manchester City have seemingly turned their attentions to the Portuguese game and a club that sporting director Hugo Viana will know all too well.

While the club remain content in the full-back role for now, the recruitment strategy has often been to identify and secure elite young talents years ahead of time, allowing them to integrate without pressure. And the next focus appears to be strengthening options on the right-hand side.

There has been long-standing admiration for Iberian prospects inside City’s scouting operation, and the club’s relationships within Portugal have only strengthened through recent transfer windows.

Quality emerging from Primeira Liga clubs continues to attract interest from Europe’s elite, and City have shown a willingness to revisit players previously monitored should development accelerate elsewhere.

21-year-old Ivan Fresneda is one name that has certainly started to establish himself as one of the standout young full-backs in Europe, combining composure in possession with strong athletic traits and the ability to operate as both a modern inverted option and traditional wide defender.

With Manchester City increasingly demanding right-backs capable of operating in multiple in-game structures, Fresneda’s recent growth and adaptability has only strengthened interest from the Etihad Stadium.

That is according to the information of TBR Football, who report that with Manchester City now looking at right-back options ahead of the 2026 summer transfer window, Sporting CP’s Fresneda is back in their sights.

The young defender is claimed to have been a profile City were keen on in 2023, but along with the likes of Real Madrid and Newcastle United, they missed out to Sporting CP, who secured a deal for around £8 million with Real Valladolid, integrating a £70 million release clause in his contract.

Manchester City’s interest will also come with awareness of the club’s evolving squad picture. With Kyle Walker having departed for Burnley, and João Cancelo a distant memory, Rico Lewis has emerged as a significant part of the club’s plans alongside Matheus Nunes in the right-back role.

Sporting CP, meanwhile, are expected to stand firm given Ivan Fresneda’s continued rise and the release clause protecting his value. The Portuguese side have proven astute in developing and selling talent, and any approach from City would likely only materialise if the player continues a strong upward trajectory across the next few months.

Over the coming months, City will likely continue monitoring the Spanish defender closely, evaluating whether his progress justifies activating his significant clause or negotiating directly with Sporting – a club Hugo Viana certainly knows well from his time in the Portuguese capital in the role of sporting director before replacing Txiki Begiristain.