Record confirms Leonino exclusive: Benfica rejected future Sporting star | OneFootball

The newspaper 'Record' confirmed the information first reported by Leonino: Moncef Zekri, a Sporting signing for the current season, had previously been offered to Benfica, who ultimately decided not to pursue the signing of the young left-back.

before heading to Alvalade. Sporting ended up taking advantage of the opportunity and chose the wide player to fill the vacancy at left-back following Ricardo Mangas' departure.

The player, just 17 years old, arrived at Alvalade for around 3 million euros, in a move by Sporting’s hierarchy to invest in a young footballer who was also wanted by other European clubs. Even so, the road to Alvalade was not straightforward.

The green-and-white club had to overcome competition from other sides, with PSV Eindhoven and Ajax among the interested clubs. Now, Moncef Zekri is preparing to write the first chapters of his adventure at the Alvalade club.

Sporting’s bet has been placed on the promising young full-back, while Benfica, managed by Marco Silva, who had the chance to move for the player, ultimately did not respond to the approach and saw him join their Segunda Circular rival.

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