Rui Borges expects three boosts at Sporting, but one big doubt | OneFootball

Sporting begin the second phase of their preparations for the 2026/27 season this Saturday, with the usual trip to Lagos for their training camp. Rui Borges is expected to welcome three players who had not yet joined the squad in Alcochete, although Morten Hjulmand’s presence still depends on how the transfer market develops.

According to the newspaper A Bola, Georgios Vagiannidis, Giorgi Kochorashvili and Morten Hjulmand have been instructed to report before the trip to the Algarve, as they were granted extra holiday after representing their national teams in June friendlies. All three are expected at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy, but the Sporting captain’s future remains uncertain.

The Denmark international remains in talks over a move to Atlético Madrid and the Colchoneros are expected to submit a new offer in the coming days. If the Spanish club meets Sporting’s demands — €40 million fixed, plus bonuses — Hjulmand could head straight to Madrid without joining the training camp in Lagos. If the deal is not completed, he will travel as normal with the rest of the Sporting delegation.

The players who took part in the World Cup will remain absent. Gonçalo Inácio and Rui Silva will be entitled to a holiday period after their elimination, while Zeno Debast and Luis Suárez are still on international duty. As for Francisco Trincão, although he was also on duty for Portugal, he is unlikely to wear the Sporting shirt again, as he remains very close to joining Al Ahli.

The training camp in Lagos will mark a new stage in the preparations of Rui Borges’ team, who want to intensify their tactical work ahead of the season’s first official fixtures. With the transfer market still open, however, Sporting’s squad is still far from being finalised.

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