Hugo Viana handed transfer blow as Al Ahli reach agreement with Sporting Lisbon for Man City target

Hugo Viana handed transfer blow as Al Ahli reach agreement with Sporting Lisbon for Man City target Sporting agree £37.9M deal with Al Ahli for Trincão but Portuguese yet to give the green light It is specifically Man City & Tottenham’s interest that is making Trincão hesitate over Saudi move Sporting president Frederico Varandas will not offer Premier League clubs a better deal Manchester City’s interest in Francisco Trincão is playing a direct role in delaying the Sporting CP midfielder’s decision over a move to Saudi Arabia, as per a new report from Portugal. Trincão’s situation in Portugal has developed rapidly over the past 24 hours, with earlier reports confirming that Al Ahli were the only club to have opened direct talks with Sporting while Manchester City and Tottenham had yet to formalise their interest – a picture that has now shifted considerably with the confirmation of a club-to-club agreement. The 26-year-old has been one of the most consistent wide attackers in the Primeira Liga over the past season, producing the best football of his career at Sporting CP and establishing himself as a genuine target for clubs across Europe’s top divisions as his contract situation at the Lisbon club has come under increasing scrutiny this summer. Manchester City and Hugo Viana face Saudi Pro League threat in pursuit of Sporting’s Francisco Trincão Manchester City ‘s need for a winger capable of dribbling and creating chances with passes has been documented throughout the window, with director of football Hugo Viana and manager Enzo Maresca having identified the wide attacking position as a priority area for reinforcement alongside the central midfield and right-back positions already under active pursuit. The timing of this update places significant pressure on both City and Tottenham to convert their interest into formal action, with Trincão’s patience for a Premier League offer understood to be finite given the concrete financial commitment Al Ahli have already tabled and Sporting have accepted. Report: Man City admiration for Trincão keeping Saudi deal on hold as Sporting hold firm on price As reported by Correio da Manhã and relayed by Sport Witness , Al Ahli have agreed a package worth £37.9 million with Sporting – made up of a fixed fee and bonuses – and the Lisbon club are satisfied with the proposal and ready to complete the sale. Trincão, however, has yet to give the green light to the move, with the report stating directly that it is specifically the interest from Manchester City and Tottenham that is causing him to hesitate – a personal preference for the Premier League over the Saudi Pro League that he is choosing to honour even in the face of a four-year contract worth £8.4 million net per season offered by the Saudi club. City have previously been linked through Maresca’s admiration for Trincão’s profile , with the new Blues manager understood to regard the winger’s directness and technical quality as a strong fit for the system he intends to implement at the Etihad Stadium next season – an assessment that, if known to the player, goes some way toward explaining why he is prepared to wait despite the financial scale of the Saudi offer on the table. The crucial caveat in the report, however, is the position of Sporting president Frederico Varandas , who has made clear he has no intention of offering Premier League clubs a better deal than the one already agreed with Al Ahli – meaning any club hoping to sign Trincão will need to match, not undercut, the £37.9 million package the Saudi side have committed to paying. Manchester City register interest in £42M Sporting Lisbon superstar – Attacking exit key for summer swoop What does Trincão’s hesitation mean for Man City’s winger search? The dynamic described by Correio da Manhã is one that places the initiative squarely with Manchester City and Tottenham rather than with Sporting or Trincão himself – with the winger willing to wait, the selling club holding firm on price, and the only remaining variable being whether either English club chooses to formalise their interest before the player’s patience runs out. For Viana, the window of opportunity is clear and the terms are known – match the Al Ahli package of approximately £37.9 million and a deal can be done, with the player himself motivated to choose the Etihad Stadium over Saudi Arabia if City commit formally to signing him. Whether that figure represents value for money in the context of City’s broader summer spending – which has already committed £116 million to Elliot Anderson – is the commercial question Viana and the club’s hierarchy must answer quickly, with the risk of inaction being that Trincão eventually accepts the Saudi contract and the Premier League window closes permanently on a player who had, for a brief but meaningful period, been holding out specifically for Manchester City. How the next 48 to 72 hours unfold in the Trincão saga is set to be one of the most closely watched developments of the summer window for those monitoring Manchester City’s activity in the transfer market, with the pressure now firmly on City and Tottenham to turn admiration into action before Sporting’s agreed deal with Al Ahli finds its missing piece.