Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal have been offered a clear hint that their transfer target William Carvalho is available in the January transfer window after Sporting Lisbon sought to refinance his economic rights.
Like many Sporting players, Carvalho is currently owned by a third-party. But the Portuguese side have now begun restructuring their finances.
According to Portuguese newspaper O Jogo, an agreement was reached on Friday between Sporting and various banks that will allow the financial institutions to acquire the rights of 14 players who currently belong in part to the Sporting Portugal Fund.
This fund, which is managed by a firm called Espirito Santo Fundos de Investimento Mobiliario, owns 17 players in total, of which 14 are still at Sporting and Carvalho is the prime asset.
The agreement seems to be based around Sporting using the sale of players to pay off their bank debts. They are able to access accelerated debt relief by ensuring that a significant chunk of future transfer fees go directly to the bank to pay off the debt.
Selling Carvalho, the 22-year-old midfielder anchorman, would be the most beneficial transfer under the new arrangement and now looks increasingly likely.
