Exclusive Leonino – Sporting full-back set for loan move to league rival | OneFootball

Sporting has already defined the professional future of João Muniz. According to information gathered by our newspaper, in an Exclusive for Leonino, the left-back from the club’s B team will be temporarily loaned out. The green and white administration intends to send the player to a first division team during the 2026/27 season.

The Board’s intention is exclusively to place the young talent at a club competing in Liga Portugal Betclic. The Sporting officials believe that playing in the top national division will provide the necessary competitive challenges to consolidate his development process, and only then will they assess whether he is an option for Rui Borges.

The truth is that the left-footer has a contract with Sporting valid until 2028, which was renewed in August 2023. Since then, João Muniz has had a release clause of 60 million euros and has even been loaned to Rio Ave, where he spent half of the 2024/25 season, but did not reap the desired benefits from that loan.

The primary objective of this market move is to ensure that the young Portuguese player gains new experience and, although the Second Division offers competitiveness, the Sporting Board believes that regular matches against top opponents will be decisive for his growth.

In the current season, João Muniz – valued at 500 thousand euros – has mostly played for Sporting’s B team, although he has already made his debut for the main squad – with six minutes in the League Cup. In the 14 official matches played in the Second Division, the 20-year-old star has totaled 1,117 minutes, still without any goals or assists to his name.

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