Liverpool’s interest in Francisco Trincão is no longer sitting alone in Portugal. Borussia Dortmund are now firmly entering the picture as well, and Sporting are increasingly acting like they know a major summer sale is coming.
A Bola pushes the idea that Trincão could become Sporting’s big outgoing transfer of the window after four seasons in Lisbon.
Liverpool remain in the mix after last week’s reports, but the German side are now described as actively watching the player alongside the Reds ahead of the summer market.
And it is not difficult to understand why the race is heating up.
The 26-year-old has just finished a brutal season physically and somehow looked fresh until the very end. Trincão played 54 matches, clocked 4,602 minutes, scored 13 goals and added 15 assists across all competitions.
He started the campaign wide, drifted into a central creator role behind the striker as the season evolved, and even ended up filling in at right-back during Sporting’s Portuguese Cup final defeat to Torreense.
A Bola says he “did everything except drive the team bus”.
Liverpool may see obvious Salah angle
If Liverpool’s concern around Mohamed Salah is partly physical management and long-term workload, Trincão suddenly starts looking like a very straightforward solution.
A Bola put major emphasis on the Sporting player’s durability.
According to the newspaper, Trincão follows strict nutrition and sleep plans and also does additional physical work outside the club under personal supervision. His appearances in the medical department are described as rare.
And the numbers behind that are honestly ridiculous.
Transfermarkt records show the attacker has missed only 12 matches through physical problems since 2018/19. Three of those absences came because of Covid-19 in 2021/22.
So across roughly eight seasons, he has barely stopped. That reliability is becoming part of his market appeal now, especially with Premier League clubs circling.
Liverpool are expected to reshape their attack this summer and Trincão’s profile ticks several boxes at once. He is left-footed, tactically flexible, productive, experienced at high level, and clearly capable of handling intense schedules without constantly breaking down.
His 28 direct goal contributions this season came while carrying one of the heaviest workloads in Sporting’s squad.
Dortmund arrival increases pressure
Still, Liverpool are no longer enjoying a clear run at the Portugal international.
Dortmund’s growing interest matters because the German club have a long history of targeting players before their value fully explodes.
Trincão is heading to the World Cup with Portugal this summer, which could easily inflate both his reputation and Sporting’s demands if he performs well on that stage.
Sporting renewed his contract until 2030 earlier this year and kept his €60m (£50.5m) release clause intact. Portuguese reports, however, continue suggesting a transfer below that figure could still become realistic under the right conditions.
Interest from Saudi Arabia has also appeared in the background, adding even more pressure to the situation.
After difficult periods at Barcelona and Wolverhampton, Trincão has rebuilt his career quietly at Sporting. Now the market around him is becoming a lot noisier.
