Geovany Quenda: Sporting CP boss confirms Chelsea negotiations

Tom Weber

Updated: 14 Mar 2025 09:08 CDT
4 min read

Geovany Quenda, Sporting CP, 2024/25 — © IMAGO

Sporting CP boss Rui Borges has seemingly confirmed that Geovany Quenda is on the verge of signing for Chelsea and warned that it could 'affect his mental state.'

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The bombshell news of the week or perhaps even the month dropped in the early hours of Friday when Fabrizio Romano revealed that Chelsea had managed to hijack Man Utd's anticipated transfer of Quenda.

The youngster, who was given his senior Sporting CP debut by Ruben Amorim earlier this season, was keen to link up with his former boss at Man Utd and there had been talk in Portugal that a move to Old Trafford was pretty much a done deal.

Instead, however, Chelsea are now on the verge of securing the signing of the 17-year-old wonderkid. A secret medical has already taken place and a seven-year contract awaits Quenda, who will only join the Blues in 2026 despite turning 18 next month.

Chelsea are set to pay a fee in the region of €45 million to €50m for the versatile Portugal international, whom they view as a winger rather than a wing-back, which is the position Amorim had in mind for him at Man Utd.

Sporting boss hints at Chelsea talks

Naturally, Sporting CP head coach Rui Borges was quizzed on the topic of Quenda during his pre-match press conference ahead of a clash with Famalicao on Saturday.

Borges refrained from all-out confirming the transfer talks but hinted that negotiations were indeed taking place. "Quenda is a kid who, with the rapid growth he has had in recent months, it is natural that he will be approached by big clubs," the coach began.

"He will have to learn to live with that. I believe that, at some point, it could affect his mental state. Regarding the deal that is being discussed today, I cannot go into too much detail because until the club gives the guarantee, it is not up to me to talk about anything.

"He has grown quickly for a 17-year-old. It's natural, given everything he has shown in a great team like Sporting, that he is linked to other clubs. As much as we want to help him grow, even in mental terms because he will always change, it is part of his growth and he has to learn to live with it

"I'm happier about him being called up to the national team because he's a kid who's suddenly playing with the big teams, with his idols. And above all, he should go with the feeling of learning, with the ambition to play, but with the happiness of being part of the national team."