Francisco Barão backs Sporting starter's €50m exit: fair enough | OneFootball

Iván Fresneda's development at Sporting is already starting to attract attention beyond Alvalade and, for Francisco Barão, a former right-back for the Lions, it is perfectly natural that the Club could be thinking about a future sale of Rui Borges' protégé.

Speaking to the newspaper 'O Jogo', he believes that if the defender maintains his current level of performance, he will be an attractive target for Europe's top clubs: "It is only logical that there will always be interest from big clubs, especially from a financial point of view, namely the big Spanish sides, who know him from his youth development. Sporting, knowing how things work for Portuguese clubs, will always be more of a selling club than a buying one. It is natural for Sporting to look at Fresneda and think that, in one or two years, they will have to sell him. He has been one of scouting's best finds in recent years."

Given the importance the player has gained in the team and the interest that has meanwhile emerged, Sporting want to extend his contract, which currently runs until 2028: "Sporting have been attentive and have acted well in these cases of players who have one or two years left on their contract, with a view to renewing them. Sporting are showing signs of wanting to do that with Fresneda, and it is understandable," he explained.

For Francisco Barão, a possible renewal could be important precisely to increase the club's room for negotiation in a future departure. "He is a 22-year-old youngster and, at this rate, attracting the interest of these types of clubs, it is only logical that Sporting are right to extend his deal for more years, even knowing that he is a player who, sooner or later, will be sold. But if Sporting can make 50 million euros from him, they won't want to make 20. I think Sporting's way of looking at the future is very sensible," he added.

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