Spanish right-back Iván Fresneda has signed for Sporting for a fee of €9 million plus €3m add-ons. The highly-rated 18-year-old has signed a contract until 2028, which has an €80m release clause.
Despite his young age, Fresneda was a regular for Valladolid in La Liga last season and then shone for Spain at the Euro U19 championship, and his displays reportedly piqued the interest of Barcelona and Chelsea.
But Sporting have long been chasing the teenager and perhaps a more realistic chance of playing regularly weighed in Fresneda’s decision to come to Lisbon.
The player himself admitted he was also influenced by a chat with his compatriot and former Sporting right-back Pedro Porro, now at Tottenham Hotspur.
“I talked to him and he spoke very highly of the club and that was another reason why I chose Sporting,” said Fresneda.
“It’s a tremendous source of price to be able to represent this great club and wear this shirt. I’m very excited by this new step in my career and want to make the most of it.”
By Tom Kundert
