On March 7th, we covered claims from Portugal which stated Sporting have been in talks with Fulham target Georgios Vagiannidis.
Later that month, A Bola reported the Lions have to battle it out with Fulham and Ajax to sign the Panathinaikos player in the summer window.
A fresh report from A Bola relays a claim from Greece and mentions Fulham. Trifilara state Sporting have made a new offer of €11m for the right-back.
Earlier claims from Portugal had stated Panathinaikos need €10m for the defender. A Bola points it out and add that Primeira Liga club’s latest offer surpassed it, to prevent Fulham, Ajax or any other club from snatching the player from them.
Record, meanwhile, have a completely different take on Sporting’s desire to sign the 23-year-old. They have been looking to strengthen the right-back position for next season and have been in talks with Panathinaikos for the Greece international.
At this point in time, Sporting haven’t made an official offer for the fullback also because Panathinaikos have raised their request to €14m, with €11m in fixed fee.
Vagiannidis’ asking price has increased because he’s attracting interest from other clubs, probably including Marco Silva’s side, and Panathinaikos have to offer 35% of the fee to his former club, Inter Milan.
According to Record, the Greek club’s request is much higher than what Sporting plan to spend on a right-back. Therefore, they are looking for alternatives in the market and this should come as an encouragement for Fulham.
Sporting could walk away from this operation, allowing Fulham or another club to pounce on the opportunity to secure Vagiannidis’ services.
