Taichi Fukui? Sporting make final call on Arouca midfielder | OneFootball

In the end, Taichi Fukui is not part of Sporting’s plans for next season. Despite his positive performances for Arouca, the Japanese midfielder is not on the list of priorities for the Sporting hierarchy to strengthen Rui Borges’ squad in 2026/27.

According to Record, after the rumor emerged, the green-and-white officials do not intend to make a move for the 21-year-old Japanese international, at a time when Sporting remain active in the market in search of solutions for midfield.

Taichi Fukui has been one of Arouca’s standout players in recent seasons and, back in January, reached the milestone of 50 matches in the club’s shirt. This season, the midfielder has recorded three goals and five assists in 34 official matches.

The Japanese player’s strong displays in the Liga Portugal Betclic ended up attracting the attention of several clubs, but at Alvalade the decision is to focus on other profiles for the center of the pitch. Sporting therefore remain focused on other targets to strengthen the middle sector, at a time when important changes are being prepared in the Lions’ midfield for next season.

Among the most talked-about names are João Palhinha, Issa Doumbia and Sergi Altimira. For now, Sporting are only understood to have completed the signing of Rodrigo Zalazar, while they wait to find out whether they will take part in the next edition of the Champions League before moving for other targets.

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