Barcelona winger set to join Portuguese giants for €10 million

As reported by Portuguese publication Record, Barcelona winger Francisco Trincao is close to joining Sporting CP in the ongoing transfer window.

The 22-year-old is two years into his spell at Barcelona, having joined from SC Braga in the summer of 2020. Having endured a poor first season at Camp Nou, the winger was loaned out to Wolves last summer, but he failed to shine in England as well.

Now back at Barcelona, Trincao never really looked like he would have a future in the new setup of Xavi Hernandez, especially with the club pushing to sign Raphinha and close to re-signing Ousmane Dembele.

Talks with Sporting over a move had been ongoing for a while now. Initially, it was expected that Trincao would join Ruben Amorim’s side on a loan move with an obligation to purchase.

However, as per the aforementioned report, that is not the case. According to the latest developments, Trincao will be moving to Sporting on a permanent transfer in a deal worth €10 million. On top of that, Barcelona will retain 50% of any future sale.

The Portuguese international had enjoyed a breakthrough at SC Braga a couple of years ago but has been unable to translate that form since leaving his homeland.

A return to Portugal might help the 22-year-old forward rekindle his career. And as far as Barcelona are concerned, they will be letting go of a player who has no part to play in the manager’s plans.

Even though the fee might seem on a lower side, offloading him and getting rid of his wages will help the Catalans with their Financial Fair Play situation.