Sporting Lisbon Resurect Feud With Wolves Over Rui Patricio

By Danny Ward

The bad blood that exists between Sporting Lisbon and Wolverhampton Wanderers over Rui Patricio seems unending as the Portuguese club is not reneging on its demand for a re-negotiations of the goalkeeper’s transfer to the English club.

Patricio signed for Wolves from Sporting on a free transfer, having terminated his contract with the Portuguese giants after the team was attacked at training by some alleged supporters of the club in May 2018.

Wolves were in negotiations with Sporting for Patricio before the attack occurred. Sporting were asking for €54 million, while Wolves stood at  €18 million.

But, the attack broke down the negotiations. Patricio terminated his contracts alongside several members of the squad and ended up signing for The Wanderers for free.

The then management reported Wolves and the goalkeeper to FIFA in a 63-page document, asking the world football governing body to impress on the English club to pay €54 million.

The management has since been replaced with an interim board, and the new President Frederico Varandas is bent on seeing the matter to the latter.

Varandas is currently engaging all the players who terminated their contracts after the attack for a possible comeback.

Varandas is also using Hugo Viana, a former player of Newcastle and friend to Patricio's agent, Jorge Mendes, to get the goalkeeper return to the club or have them pursue the writ at FIFA.