Sporting in battle with Betis and Villarreal for Liga 2 playmaker | OneFootball

Sporting remain committed to identifying young talent and already have another promising prospect lined up for the future. Nélio Batista, a midfielder aged just 17 who is part of Marítimo’s squad, 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 progress. Betis - who negotiated Sergi Altimira with the Alvalade club - and Villarreal are also following the young Portuguese player’s development, with the Andalusian side said to be 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 chance to make his debut for the Madeira side’s first team. Despite his age, the midfielder made one appearance for the senior team in the 2025/26 season, although most of his game time came with the under-23s.

The youngster made 21 appearances and scored one goal, in addition to playing four matches and finding the net once for the juniors. The midfielder joined the Barreiros club in 2020 from Machico, where he first began to stand out before stepping 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.