Exclusive Leonino – João Muniz set to leave Sporting in January | OneFootball

João Muniz will be loaned out in the next transfer window, Leonino reports. The 20-year-old defender is a regular starter for Sporting's B team, but the management believes the player is ready to make the leap to a competitive first league team.

The Portuguese center-back is seen as one of the greatest promises of the green and white Academy, but Rui Borges believes that it's not yet the right time to regularly bet on the young Portuguese under-21 international, hence a potential loan is indeed the most likely scenario.

A loan will allow the footballer to accumulate minutes and play at the highest level, in order to gain maturity and competitive experience. The competition in this sector of Sporting's squad is fierce. Ousmane Diomande - who is about to renew - and Gonçalo Inácio are the starting center-backs, along with Zeno Debast, Eduardo Quaresma, and Matheus Reis as valid options.

The left-footer was loaned to Rio Ave in the first half of last season, but the loan did not go well. The player ended up not playing any official matches for the Vilacondense club and was 'rescued' by the Lions in January, so the Alvalade Club is now looking for the right club for the player to develop.

In 2025/26, João Muniz – valued at 500 thousand euros – has, so far, played seven matches for Sporting's B team and one for the main team, totaling 628 minutes, without scoring any goals or making any assists. The athlete has a contract with the Alvalade Club until June 2028 and a release clause of 60 million euros.

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