Sporting Lisbon have made it clear that midfielder Wendel will not be leaving for a penny less than £30 million after Everton offered him a five-year deal at Goodison Park, according to A Bola.
Sporting might have nothing on Daniel Levy but, if you want to buy one of their star performers, you’d better prepare yourself for months of haggling and the odd, last-gasp U-turn.
Just ask Manchester United.
It took seemingly endless hours of haggling before Bruno Fernandes arrived at Old Trafford – for a fee much larger than United initially wanted to pay.
According to Brazilian publication ENM in May, Everton offered Wendel a five-year deal on Merseyside, seeing the 22-year-old as the all-action midfield dynamo they have been missing since Idrissa Gana Gueye’s long-awaited move to Paris last summer.
Carlo Ancelotti, an old-school negotiator who believes the personal touch is key, even held talks with Wendel over the phone earlier in the year.
But, as A Bola point out, Sporting have absolutely no intention of letting the Brazilian leave for a reduced fee, even in an era of financial uncertainty, rising debts and disappearing gate receipts.
Wendel has enjoyed a fine 2020 so far, stepping up in the centre of the park after talisman Fernandes departed in January.
The last thing Sporting want, after losing their most influential midfielder, is to bid farewell to their next best thing.
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