Taichi Fukui? Sporting make final call on Arouca midfielder | OneFootball

In the end, Taichi Fukui is not part of Sporting’s plans for next season. Despite his positive performances for Arouca, the Japanese midfielder is not on the Lions’ list of priorities to strengthen Rui Borges’ squad for 2026/27.

According to Record, after the rumour emerged, the green-and-white officials do not intend to move for the 21-year-old Japan international, at a time when Sporting remain active in the market in search of solutions for midfield.

Taichi Fukui has been one of Arouca’s standout players in recent seasons and, back in January, reached the milestone of 50 matches in the Arouquenses shirt. This season, the midfielder has recorded three goals and five assists in 34 official matches.

The Japanese player’s strong displays in the Liga Portugal Betclic ended up attracting the attention of several clubs, but at Alvalade the decision is to bet on other profiles for the centre of the pitch. Sporting therefore remain focused on other targets to strengthen the middle sector, at a time when major changes are being prepared in the Lions’ midfield for next season.

Among the most talked-about names are João Palhinha, Issa Doumbia and Sergi Altimira. For now, Sporting have only completed the signing of Rodrigo Zalazar

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