Leonino exclusive confirmed! Defender set to leave Sporting, move set | OneFootball

Rafael Pontelo is very close to leaving Sporting for good. The 23-year-old Brazilian centre-back is preparing to terminate his contract with the Lions and continue his career in Serbia, where a three-season deal with Radnik Surdulica is waiting for him.

Pontelo made only two appearances for Sporting's first team and ended up going out on successive loans in recent years. The centre-back spent time at Pafos in Cyprus, Auda in Latvia and, last season, Farense.

Although the departure is expected to be on a free transfer, Sporting’s SAD is expected to retain a percentage of the player’s economic rights, thus keeping the possibility of benefiting financially from a future transfer.

With a contract valid until June 2028, Rafael Pontelo was part of the group of surplus players Rui Borges did not intend to include in the squad for 2026/27. The move to Radnik Surdulica allows Sporting to resolve another pending case in this summer transfer window.

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