Jorge Mendes steps in at Sporting and 'helps' seal signing for Rui Borges | OneFootball

Sergi Altimira is no longer escaping Sporting, in a process in which Jorge Mendes played a decisive role in steering the negotiations between all parties. The 24-year-old Spanish midfielder arrives from Betis, and the agreement provides for a transfer worth around €18 million, plus €2 million in add-ons.

The Lions have already reached an understanding with the player and are now finalizing the last details of the deal with the Andalusian club. The operation is practically sealed, with only the paperwork left to be completed for the transfer to be made official.

Sporting have thus managed to beat off competition from Leipzig, who were also strongly interested in signing the Spanish international. The intervention in the process sped up the decision of the green-and-whites, who wanted to secure a midfield reinforcement quickly.

Altimira is seen by the Sporting hierarchy and by Rui Borges as a versatile midfielder, capable of playing both as a ‘six’ and an ‘eight’, and is compared in profile to players with a strong physical presence and the ability to build play. His arrival comes at a time when doubts remain over Morten Hjulmand’s future at Alvalade.

Faced with uncertainty in other dossiers, such as João Palhinha’s, Sporting chose to move decisively for Altimira to avoid losing the player to the German or English market. The aim is to ensure immediate stability in midfield and finalize the squad as quickly as possible.

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