Regardless of officially being a free agent, goalkeeper Rui Patrício will reportedly cost Wolverhampton Wanderers €18m for his transfer from Sporting.
The information is published today by newspaper A Bola, who claims that the original agreement between the clubs will stand.
Patrício was on the verge of signing for Wolves last month on a €18m deal, but the agreement collapsed when the Lisbon club president Bruno de Carvalho made late demands.
That’s when the goalkeeper decided to rescind his contract due to the attacks that happened at the Alcochete training centre a few weeks before, and ended up signing for Wolves on a free transfer.
But now that Bruno de Carvalho has been voted out of Sporting, Wolves want to make things right and pay for the transfer, to avoid a legal battle afterwards.
A Bola comes up with some quotes from Sousa Cintra, Sporting’s acting president, speaking to SIC: “Sporting will receive the money that was agreed. Wolves don’t want wars and acknowledge Sporting’s reason.”
“Rui Patrício is a fantastic player, one of the best in the world. He wanted to leave and it’s not worth going back. The money that Sporting will receive is around €18m, a little less. We’ll get what we agreed to receive.”
But when Cintra says ‘a little less’, he actually means a lot. A Bola explains that the Lions are actually getting €11m for the transfer, as €7m is going to agent Jorge Mendes. That’s €3m from the transfer’s commission and another €4m of a debt Sporting had from Adrien Silva’s transfer to Leicester City.
