Drama at Sporting! Jorge Mendes races to offload Lions star | OneFootball

Pedro Gonçalves is still waiting for a solution for his future, more than a month after saying goodbye to Sporting’s fans at the Estádio de Alvalade, on the occasion of the Cinco Violinos Trophy. The number 8 was linked from early on with a move to Saudi Arabia. However, the transfer window is nearing its end and the winger still has no defined destination.

The window in Portugal closes next Friday, while in Saudi Arabia it only shuts on September 6. Sporting’s board remains confident that Jorge Mendes can unlock the process, but some of the main doors that had been open are now beginning to close.

Al Ittihad have reportedly already turned their attention to Ritsu Doan, from Eintracht Frankfurt, after being named as one of the main interested parties in the Portuguese international. The Saudi club is said to be willing to invest up to €18 million in the Japanese player, who has emerged as an alternative to replace Moussa Diaby. Al Diriyah, coached by Bruno Lage, also appears to have dropped out of the race.

The agent will now have to speed up negotiations to find a solution. The scenario is similar to Daniel Bragança’s. If neither of them manages to leave before the transfer window closes, Rui Borges has already made it clear that they will be reintegrated into the team.

"They have behaved exceptionally well. When the window closes, if they are still at Sporting, it will be a pleasure [to count on them again]. They are great players, who gave everything and made history at Sporting. They are looking for new challenges. More than for me, they want to have the situation resolved," said the coach.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.