According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Sporting CP could sue Inter for €30m if Joao Mario completes a permanent move to Benfica.
The Portuguese midfielder spent the last season on loan at Sporting and the champions of Portugal seemed close to completing his permanent move.
However, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports Sporting tried to negotiate a lower transfer fee with both Inter and the player’s agent, so Benfica pounced on the 28-year-old, securing a deal.
According to the pink paper and Record, Benfica have reached an agreement to sign Joao Mario for €7.5m and the player has also agreed personal terms with the Eagles.
The trouble is, Sporting could sue Inter for €30m if Joao Mario joins their rivals.
Joao Mario, sì al Benfica e accordo con l'Inter: le cifre dell'intesa – https://t.co/CVeUFZQTkb
— Inter-News.it (@internewsit) July 5, 2021
The agreement for the 28-year-old loan move to Sporting one year ago came with a clause that prevented Inter from selling the player to any other Portuguese club.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter are convinced the clause doesn’t prevent Joao Mario from joining another Portuguese club but is necessary to inform Sporting about any other bid coming from Portugal, offering the club to chance to match the proposal within 48 hours.
The Serie A giants promptly informed Sporting about the offer coming from their rivals, so they believe they don’t need to pay anything to The Leões if Joao Mario joins Benfica.