Sporting CP are reported to have made Olympique Lyonnais manager Paulo Fonseca their top priority to replace Rui Borges, whose future appears increasingly uncertain, according to reports from CNN Portugal.

Talks with Fonseca’s entourage, as well as with the French club, are said to have already begun, and the deal could even be finalised in the coming weeks.

Fonseca, for his part, is reportedly open to the idea of returning to Portugal, whilst Sporting’s directors see the 53-year-old manager as the embodiment of the club’s future.

And whilst Fonseca remains under contract with OL until next June, Os Leões would need to reach an agreement with the Rhône-based club to make their plans a reality. Reaching such an agreement could be made easier by a debt of €5.5m, linked to the 20% clause negotiated as part of the €32m transfer fee for Afonso Moreira (21) to Bayer Leverkusen, which Les Rouge et Bleu still owe to their Portuguese counterparts.