Trincão holding out for City as Al Ahli agree Sporting deal

Portuguese winger yet to green-light Saudi move

Manchester City's interest in Francisco Trincão is proving to be a decisive factor in the Sporting CP winger's hesitation over a move to Saudi Arabia, according to reports in Portugal.

Al Ahli have agreed a package worth £37.9 million with Sporting, comprising a fixed fee and bonuses. The Lisbon club are satisfied with the proposal and ready to complete the sale. But the 26-year-old has yet to give the move the green light.

The reason, per Correio da Manhã, is straightforward: interest from Manchester City and Tottenham is causing Trincão to pause. He prefers the Premier League over the Saudi Pro League, even in the face of a four-year contract worth £8.4 million net per season from Al Ahli.

City's need for a winger capable of dribbling and creating chances has been documented throughout the window. Director of football Hugo Viana and manager Enzo Maresca have identified the wide attacking position as a priority alongside central midfield and right-back.

The timing places pressure on both City and Tottenham to convert their interest into formal action. Trincão's patience for a Premier League offer is understood to be finite given the concrete financial commitment Al Ahli have already tabled and Sporting have accepted.

Sporting president Frederico Varandas has made clear he has no intention of offering Premier League clubs a better deal than the one already agreed with Al Ahli. Any club hoping to sign Trincão will need to match the £37.9 million package, not undercut it.

City have previously been linked through Maresca's admiration for Trincão's profile, with the new Blues manager understood to regard the winger's directness and technical quality as a strong fit for the system he intends to implement at the Etihad.

For Viana, the terms are known: match the Al Ahli package and a deal can be done, with the player himself motivated to choose the Etihad if City commit formally. Whether £37.9 million represents value in the context of City's broader summer spending — which has already committed £116 million to Elliot Anderson — is the question Viana and the hierarchy must answer quickly.

The risk of inaction is that Trincão eventually accepts the Saudi contract and the Premier League window closes permanently on a player who had, for a brief period, been holding out specifically for Manchester City.