Leonino exclusive: Sporting drop Vipotnik for 26/27, saga lives on | OneFootball

Sporting have decided not to move forward with the signing of Zan Vipotnik in this summer transfer window, Leonino has learned. The Slovenian international remains, however, very highly rated by the green-and-white hierarchy, who intend to closely monitor the Swansea striker’s development.

According to what our newspaper has found out, the decision is directly linked to Luis Suárez staying at Alvalade. The Colombian remains part of Rui Borges’ plans and, without the departure of the ‘number 97’, the SAD does not consider it necessary to make a major investment to add another centre-forward to the squad.

Vipotnik had been identified by Sporting as one of the main alternatives if Suárez were to leave the Club. The 24-year-old striker has been under observation by Sporting’s scouting department for quite some time, but a possible transfer would force the green-and-whites to go beyond the €20 million mark.

That investment will not be made now, but the file is not definitively closed. Sporting intend to remain attentive to the Slovenian international’s performances and his situation at Swansea, and could reconsider a move in a future transfer window if there is a need to strengthen the attack.

Zan Vipotnik is under contract with the Welsh club until June 2028 and therefore remains a name to keep on file at Alvalade, while Rafael Nel will also continue to be linked to the first-team squad.

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