Leonino exclusive: Sporting turned down player who joined Porto for €11m | OneFootball

Sporting turned down the signing of Gabriel Mec, Leonino has learned. The young Brazilian was considered by the green-and-white officials, but the Lions’ hierarchy chose not to pursue the possibility of signing the attacking midfielder, who ended up joining Porto in this transfer window.

The 18-year-old player had already been linked with Sporting in recent months, at a time when his agency was trying to put him on the radar of several European clubs. Despite the recognized potential of the Grêmio footballer and his versatility to play in different attacking areas, the Lions felt he did not meet the necessary conditions to justify a concrete move.

Porto ended up taking a different path and completed the signing of Gabriel Mec from Grêmio for 11 million euros. The Dragons sped up the process after the Brazilian had also been offered to other Portuguese clubs and secured one of the most highly rated youngsters in Brazilian football.

An international for Brazil’s youth teams, the player would have been free to sign for another club from January, which prompted Porto to act more quickly. Sporting, for their part, quickly dropped that possibility and left the door open for their rival.

In the 2026 season in Brazil, wearing the Grêmio shirt, Gabriel Mec - valued at 16 million euros - played 32 matches. .

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