Sporting Club de Portugal ‘hostage’ to Amorim release clause – Manchester United move ‘inevitable’

Sporting Club de Portugal have been left a ‘hostage’ to the release clause in Ruben Amorim’s contract as he closes in on a move to Manchester United.

That’s according to journalist Sérgio Pires on Mais Futebol, who believes Amorim ‘has a plane to catch’ to the Premier League.

Amorim appears to be closing in on a move to Manchester United after they moved to hire him yesterday following the dismissal of Erik ten Hag.

A deal has been rapidly progressing over the last 24 hours, with Manchester United making it clear they are willing to pay release clauses to secure Amorim and his desired staff members.

That is the last major hold up on the matter, although the manner in which the release clause is paid to Sporting and a clause in Amori’s deal that means he must provide the club with 30 days’ notice could create a minor delay to Manchester United’s hopes of having him in charge for Sunday’s clash with Chelsea.

Either way, there is confidence Amorim will be hired by Manchester United sooner rather than later and bring his time at Sporting to an end.

That’s something the Portuguese side will be sorry to see and Pires admits they have essentially ended up playing hostage to the release clause they added to Amorim’s deal not long ago.

“Manchester United want Rubén Amorim, Rubén Amorim wants Manchester United, Sporting can’t help but do the same,” he said.

“Sporting is currently hostage to the termination clause it agreed with Rubén Amorim upon renewal.

“I think that Varandas (Sporting president) was somehow blinded by the possible possibility that one day Rubén Amorim would come and find a Portuguese club, or rather specifically, and therefore gave him a very high clause for a Portuguese club, which is €30m, but in return Rubén Amorim demanded a low clause for big European clubs of €10m.

“So now Sporting can only postpone what seems inevitable. At the moment Sporting is trying, in some way, to get compensation for the assistants, for the trio of assistants that Rubén Amorim wants to take to Manchester, Adele, Carlos Fernandes and Vital, and in this case a compensation of €5m.”