Sporting won't pay €4m, Rui Borges midfielder set to leave | OneFootball

Rayan Lucas arrived at Sporting last summer surrounded by expectation, but the Brazilian midfielder is expected to leave Alvalade at the end of the season. Everything indicates that the Lions’ board will not trigger the €4 million purchase clause agreed with Flamengo.

The 21-year-old joined on loan from the Rio club and initially made a positive impression in pre-season, to the point of earning opportunities with the first team managed by Rui Borges. The midfielder seemed to be staking a claim for a place not only in the B team, but also among the regular options in Sporting’s main squad.

However, the Brazilian’s progress lost momentum over the course of the season and his stay at Alvalade became increasingly unlikely, as our newspaper reported, in a Leonino Exclusive. The final decision is only expected to be made after the Portuguese Cup final against Torreense, scheduled for Sunday at Jamor, but the most likely scenario is the player returning to Flamengo, the club he remains under contract with until 2028.

Developed at Ninho do Urubu, Rayan Lucas is one of the survivors of the fire that, in 2019, claimed ten lives at Flamengo’s training centre. Before moving to the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy, the midfielder had also made eight appearances for the Brazilian club’s first team, spread across 2024 and 2025.

Playing for Sporting’s B team, he featured in 22 matches and registered one assist. The midfielder also made his debut for Sporting’s first team, coming on in the 77th minute of the 5-1 win over FC Alverca in the League Cup quarter-finals, played on 28 October 2025. Even so, everything points to his spell at Alvalade ending after just one season.

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