Joan Laporta ignores a signing and loses a major sale for €11M: bad decision

Francisco Trincão, a familiar face to blaugrana fans, has finally broken out as a forward at Sporting CP. At Barça, he barely had any opportunities and when he did, his performance fell far short of what was desired with his signing. Today, the Portuguese winger has become one of the best players in the Portuguese league and a hero for the national team.

With Barça, he barely played 42 matches, six as a starter, scoring 3 goals and providing two assists. The Portuguese forward left a poor record at the blaugrana team, which, four years later, has become one of the most sought-after footballers in Portugal. Trincão has been working for some time to regain all the reputation that preceded him before signing for Barça and that he lost during his time at Camp Nou.

Let's remember that Barça paid 31 million to secure his services and he came from having a great season with Braga. In that season, Trincão scored 8 goals and provided 12 assists, numbers he has surpassed with Sporting in the latest season. Trincão has kept his place as an undisputed starter in 42 out of the 43 matches he has been available for.

Barça sells 50% of Trincão's rights

A few days ago, Sporting CP issued an official statement announcing the purchase of the remaining 50% of Trincão's rights from Barça. The Lisbon club stated that the purchase was completed for 11 million, an amount that allowed Barça to register Rashford at the last minute. The Portuguese club expressed great satisfaction with the agreement and was close to closing the deal of the century.

Saudi team Al Nasr had a strong interest in signing Trincão for a staggering amount, but the deal ultimately did not go through. The reason was the forward's own refusal to play for Cristiano Ronaldo's team, as his desire is to establish himself in Portugal. Sporting ended up paying Barça a total of 21 million, 3M for the first year of the loan, 7M for the first 50%, and now 11M for the remaining 50%.

Barça loses control over Trincão

In response to Sporting's financial effort to sign Trincão, the forward has become the most outstanding player in the Portuguese league. In this new season, in two matches, Trincão has already scored three goals and provided one assist. The Lisbon club hasn't sold him yet, but they know that in the near future they could make a major sale.

Trincão's idea is to renew soon with his current team; he currently has a contract in force until 2027. Trincão wants to extend this term until 2030 and set a multimillion-dollar release clause. At 25 years old, there is still time to make a significant sale in the future. Trincão has become, as of today, the team's most decisive forward after the departure of Swedish player Gyökeres.