The numbers confirm it: Sporting have never spent so much on midfielders | OneFootball

Sporting are undergoing a major midfield overhaul, and the projected investment figures for the area look set to go down in the Club’s history. The SAD led by Frederico Varandas is preparing to break, for the first time, the 30-million-euro mark spent solely on reinforcements for central midfield in a single transfer window.

After securing Rodrigo Zalazar for the attacking sector, the Lions moved ahead with a genuine revolution in the middle of the park. The first signing was Pedro Lima, brought in from AVS for 4 million euros. Next comes Issa Doumbia, who is already in Lisbon and is only waiting for the transfer to be made official. The Italy Under-21 international will cost 20 million euros fixed, with the fee potentially rising by a further 6 million through add-ons.

Doumbia will therefore become the most expensive midfielder in Sporting’s history, surpassing Morten Hjulmand. It should be remembered that the Danish captain arrived at Alvalade in 2023/24 for 18 million euros, plus 3 million in variables, from Lecce.

The overhaul in the area will not stop there. Silas Andersen is also on his way to Alvalade, after Sporting reached an agreement with Häcken for a deal worth 7 million euros fixed, plus 3 million in performance-related bonuses. The base fees alone for Pedro Lima, Issa Doumbia and Silas Andersen amount to an investment of 31 million euros.

And the amount could rise significantly if João Palhinha returns to the Club. The Portugal international remains one of the major targets for the summer market and will require another major financial operation if negotiations with Bayern Munich reach a successful conclusion.

So far, Sporting’s biggest investment in midfielders in a single summer dates back to 2023/24, with the signing of Hjulmand. Before that, the highest figure had been reached in 2017/18, when the Lions invested 14.7 million euros in Bruno Fernandes, Rodrigo Battaglia and Mattheus Oliveira. Nine years later, the club’s decision-makers are preparing to set a new benchmark in the building of Rui Borges’ squad.

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