Sporting to spend Champions League millions on two signings: full story | OneFootball

Sergi Altimira and Issa Doumbia are the two names at the top of the list to strengthen Sporting’s midfield. The club’s board is already preparing for the succession of Morten Hjulmand and Hidemasa Morita, with the aim of securing immediate, high-quality solutions.

To approach the market with greater room to manoeuvre, the Lions are counting on the financial boost earned in the Champions League, a competition in which they reached the quarter-finals before being knocked out by Arsenal. The European campaign brought in around €80 million and strengthened not only the club’s financial power, but also its international prestige.

This amount is expected to be added to the fee from the sale of Morten Hjulmand, who will not be negotiated for less than €40 million. With that scenario in mind, Sporting are preparing to invest in at least two midfielders with European pedigree.

Sergi Altimira, 24, has been making a name for himself at Real Betis, even in a midfield featuring names such as Isco, Pablo Fornals, Antony and Sofyan Amrabat. The Spanish midfielder could cost around €30 million, a figure already rejected by the Andalusian club in the last transfer window. Although he is also being tracked by Benfica and Porto, Sporting remain determined to move forward.

Meanwhile, Issa Doumbia, 22, has been catching the eye in Serie B and has emerged as the planned alternative for Morita’s place. The Italian midfielder is in his second season at Venezia and is enjoying one of the best spells of his career, with eight goals and four assists in 34 matches - numbers far better than last season, when he made 25 appearances. Valued at more than €10 million, he is attracting interest from several European clubs and would welcome a move to a team with Champions League ambitions, such as Sporting.

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