Sporting CP want to sign Joao Mario from Inter but that doesn’t mean they will be able to, head coach Ruben Amorim has warned.
Joao Mario confirmed in an interview with Record on Tuesday that he would be more than happy to stay with Sporting CP, whom he rejoined on a season-long loan last summer.
Amorim led the club to their first Liga NOS title since 2002 this season, and now all attention is focused on whether they will manage to make Joao Mario’s loan move permanent.
Speaking to Record (via FcInterNews.it), Sporting CP’s head coach said: “Sporting CP have spoken, Joao Mario has spoken, but there are situations we can’t control.
“He is an Inter player and everyone knows his value; now we need to put everything together and see what we can do.
“Joao Mario has given us a lot of confidence and experience, but he’s not a Sporting CP player.
“He was part of our squad, but now there are a lot of factors involved…”
Inter signed Joao Mario in a €40 million deal back in the summer of 2016, shortly after the arrival of Suning as the club’s new owners.
The midfielder never settled properly in Serie A and eventually joined West Ham United on loan in 2018, before a spell with Lokomotiv Moscow last season.
Joao Mario rejoined Sporting CP 12 months ago and has made 34 appearances this season, scoring two goals and providing two assists in all competitions.
