Sporting battle Betis and Villarreal for Portuguese Liga 2 creator | OneFootball

Sporting remain committed to identifying young talent and already have another promising prospect lined up for the future. Nélio Batista, a 17-year-old midfielder who belongs to Marítimo, played last season in Liga 2.

According to journalist Manu Colchón, the island-born player is on the Lions' watchlist, but Sporting are not the only club keeping an eye on his development. Betis - who negotiated Sergi Altimira with the Alvalade club - and Villarreal are also following the young Portuguese player's progress, with the Andalusian club reportedly considering a possible move to integrate him into their B team.

The footballer is seen as one of Marítimo's biggest prospects and has already had the opportunity to make his debut for the Madeira side's first team. Despite his age, the midfielder made one appearance for the senior side in the 2025/26 season, although most of his playing time came with the under-23s.

The youngster made 21 appearances and scored one goal, while also playing four matches and finding the net once for the juniors. The midfielder joined the Barreiros club in 2020 from Machico, where he began to stand out before making the step up to a bigger setup.

A Portugal under-17 international on 16 occasions, with three goals scored, Nélio Batista is under contract until the summer of 2028. Bernardo Palmeiro is therefore continuing to keep a close eye on the domestic market, looking to get ahead of the competition for players with the potential to join Sporting's project in the medium term.

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