Simeon Slavchev has been training and on trial with Birmingham City, trying to earn himself a move to the Championship club.
Portuguese newspaper O Jogo explain that Sporting see no future for the midfielder with them, and that became clear pretty soon after the Bulgarian signed.
Slavchev signed for Sporting for €2.5m and the Portuguese club only own 80% of his registration rights, a situation common in Portugal. That means there’s more than simply Slavchev, Sporting and Birmingham involved in a potential transfer.
The player himself would be keen on a permanent move to Birmingham, explain O Jogo, but given his ownership situation, the likelihood there’d be a disagreement in valuation, that’s if Birmingham are prepared to part with any fee at all, a loan could be the likelier option.
Slavchev’s Birmingham contract ends in June 2019, a year on loan with Birmingham could potentially see Sporting then receive a fee, and also the 20% man get his cut.