Sporting beat Newcastle and Everton to near-€20m signing | OneFootball

Sporting remain particularly active in the transfer market and are preparing to secure another reinforcement for the midfield. After completing the signings of Rodrigo Zalazar and Pedro Lima, the Lions are now pushing hard for Issa Doumbia, a Venezia midfielder, in a deal that could be worth around €20 million.

Revamping the middle of the park has become a priority for the Alvalade club amid several possible departures. Hidemasa Morita is in the final year of his contract, while Morten Hjulmand continues to be linked with a move next summer.

Negotiations for Doumbia are expected to intensify in the coming days, at a time when competition from England is also driving up Venezia’s demands. Clubs such as Newcastle and Everton have also been closely tracking the Italy under-21 international, a situation that has led the Venetians to raise their asking price.

Even so, Sporting remain strongly committed to getting the deal done and are already said to have prepared a contract running until 2031 for the player, with an €80 million release clause. The intention is to secure three reinforcements quickly, even before the end of May.

This season, playing for Venezia, Issa Doumbia – valued at €8 million – has made 38 appearances. In total, across the 3,189 minutes he has been on the pitch, the midfielder has scored 10 goals and provided five assists.

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