Sporting want to extend loan deal for Everton goalkeeper Joao Virginia
Sporting Lisbon are reportedly not keen to sign Everton goalkeeper Joao Virginia on a permanent deal in the summer.
The 22-year-old joined the Portuguese club on loan in the summer transfer window, and it’s fair to say he has not done enough.
As a part of the deal, Everton presented them with the option of signing him permanently. According to Record (03 May, page 15), Sporting are only keen to extend his loan deal.
No future
Virginia finds himself in limbo, and he doesn’t seem to have a future under Frank Lampard, irrespective of where the Toffees finish at the end of the season.
The fact that Everton wanted Sporting to sign him permanently indicates that he is not needed at Goodison Park.
A summer exit is likely, whether it is another loan move or a permanent move elsewhere.
Virginia made his debut for the Toffees in September 2020 against League Two side Salford, where he kept a clean sheet.
He made his Premier League debut the following year when he came on for the injured Jordan Pickford in a 2-1 home defeat against Burnley.
In the same season, he made his FA Cup debut, where he started in the 2-0 defeat against Manchester City at Goodison Park.
Everton hoped that he will more minutes at his new club, but that hasn’t been the case. He has made just seven appearances and hasn’t featured in big games.
Sporting’s first-choice keeper Antonio Adan, 34, still has got three years left on his contract, and the club is unsure whether signing Virginia permanently will work at all.
In other Everton news, Richard Keys has slammed Lampard and Everton players after footage from outside Goodison emerged on Sunday.
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