Ex-Sporting defender: Inácio to leave Alvalade if condition met | OneFootball

Tonel believes that Sporting should keep Gonçalo Inácio, but he thinks the defender might leave if a lucrative offer comes in.

Gonçalo Inácio is the only ever-present player for Sporting. The defender has played all 990 minutes of the matches the Lions have contested this season and has attracted interest from several European clubs. Recently linked to Barcelona, the 'number 25' should stay at Alvalade "for many years," assures Tonel. However, the former center-back of the green and whites believes the Portuguese international might leave.

"He is one of the pillars of the Sporting team. A player who has been improving, growing. He is better today than he was a year, half a year ago. If he continues with this evolution he has had in recent years, he can reach a higher level. He is already at a fantastic level, but he can go to other more competitive leagues. He is increasingly mature with and without the ball. The improvements are more visible without the ball, because with the ball he has always connected very well in the game, inside, with the interior pass, he makes good decisions, has a good medium and long pass," he said to the newspaper A Bola.

For Tonel, Inácio "without the ball, is improving a lot," which translates into better coordination of the green and white defense: "He is very calm, very focused, very confident. At this moment, I have no doubts that he is one of the pillars of the team."

"I think it would be beneficial for Sporting to keep Gonçalo for many years, even to have an identity, he is Portuguese, trained at the club, would be a leader, a strong image of the club. But nowadays money talks very loudly and if an offer comes in that meets the release clause, I believe he would want to try something else and also substantially increase his salary. Barcelona? Looking at the sporting aspect, I think in the league Gonçalo would fit in very well. Comparing with England, I think he would fit better in La Liga," he commented, regarding the interest from the Catalans.

At the start of the 2025/26 season, Gonçalo Inácio - valued at 45 million euros - is one of the ever-presents in the Sporting team. The green and white central defender has accumulated 990 minutes in 11 games, in which he has already managed to make two assists for goals.

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