Leonino exclusive: Sporting eye Serie A Portuguese for Inácio exit | OneFootball

Tiago Gabriel is one of the names identified by Sporting to strengthen the heart of the defense if Gonçalo Inácio leaves Alvalade in the January transfer window, Leonino has learned. The Lecce centre-back, who came through Sporting’s academy, appears as a backup solution in the event of the current Lions captain’s departure.

Gonçalo Inácio stayed at Sporting after a summer in which he once again attracted attention from abroad. Barcelona and Milan were linked with the Portuguese international and, more recently, Inzaghi’s Al Hilal also showed interest, although without any concrete offer or negotiations. The SAD managed to keep hold of the number 25 in the last window, but is aware that the matter could gain momentum again in January.

The defender is under contract with Sporting until June 2030 and is protected by a €60 million release clause. Frederico Varandas even publicly ruled out a departure during the summer, at a time when Inácio was part of the group of players the club’s hierarchy wanted to keep, but the Lions are still preparing for possible future scenarios, even though he remains crucial for Rui Borges.

It is in this context that Tiago Gabriel emerges. The 21-year-old centre-back has established himself at Lecce and has already been on the radar of other Portuguese clubs. In the last transfer window, Sporting and Benfica were both reported to be interested, as were other European clubs, but the Italians showed no willingness to let the player go.

Tiago Gabriel came through Alvalade’s youth system between 2014 and 2020, before continuing his path at Vitória de Setúbal and later Estrela da Amadora, eventually joining Lecce in 2025, where he has been making a name for himself in professional football.

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