A case reopened by a Greek season
Renato Sanches was 18 when he helped Portugal win the European Championship in 2016. That same year, he picked up the Golden Boy award. Ten years on, the 29-year-old midfielder is mostly still chasing a body that has let him down season after season. According to Foot Mercato, Paris Saint-Germain are now willing to release him from the final year of his contract, which runs until June 2027.
The spark came from Greece. Loaned to Panathinaikos last year, the Portugal international, who has 32 caps and 3 goals, played 24 matches, scoring once and adding one assist, with only one real injury across the campaign. For once, the physical side of his game actually held together.
Still according to the French outlet, his league minutes tailed off late in the season for a simple financial reason. The Athens club reportedly cut back his appearances on purpose to avoid paying extra compensation to PSG. Back in Paris, he completed a full pre-season without a setback.
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Offers from three continents
A player of that pedigree available for nothing a week before the deadline does not go unnoticed. Foot Mercato says there have been approaches since the start of August, with bids already knocked back from Saudi Arabia, Brazil and MLS.
In Europe, the list of suitors tells you plenty about where the Portuguese midfielder stands right now: clubs from La Liga, Ipswich, Hull City, Torino and Union Berlin. Sanches is said to want a three-year project with a manager ready to put full faith in him. That’s the catch. It’s a pretty demanding one too.
Two Ligue 1 clubs are watching
The real twist could come from France. According to the same outlet, two Ligue 1 clubs have recently made enquiries and are seriously weighing up whether the move can be done. Nothing concrete yet, but the window shuts on 1 September.
One question still hangs over all of it and nobody can answer it for months: can the 2016 Golden Boy stay fit for a whole season at the top level? Greece gave an early clue. It did not give the full answer.
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