Paulo Fonseca is very close to being Rui Borges' successor in Sporting, but he will still meet with the direction of Lyon, although the desire to return to Portugal is very present.
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01/11/2026
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Aafter Sporting's decision to terminate contract with Rui Borges on Sunday night, Paulo Fonseca prepares to see his future set in the coming days, with Lyon leaving and going to Sporting being the most likely scenario.
According to information collected by Sports to Minute, the Portuguese coach will meet Lyon's managers this Monday at the academy of the French club, to talk about this whole situation, which has climbed in the last hours.
It tastes like Sports to Minute that an exit from the French emblem was not in the plans of Paulo Fonseca or the emblem of Ligue 1, since they were effectively content with their work so far.
Still, after the statement that negotiations for the termination of a contract with Rui Borges had been initiated, Paulo Fonseca is available to hear Sporting's proposal, since it is his wish to return to Portugal, as well as to sign for the club of Alvalade.
“There is a possibility (of contact). We'll see. I like this group very much, they're magnificent. Sporting's interest? Right now, anything is possible. I don't know (if I'm gonna finish the season). Tomorrow, I'll be there with the group. I love working in France and I love the people of the club,” Lyon’s flash-view leader said in statements to Ligue 1+.
The talks with Sporting have been taking place for a few days, even Paulo Fonseca being the priority of Frederico Varandas and the situation has been unfolding and moving to a good port, although there is no contract signed so far, although the French press has agreed as closed.
Rui Borges is no longer in charge of Sporting, with the club of Alvalade announcing this Sunday night that he will announce “soon the new coach of the main football team.”
The lions also communicate that Tiago Fernandes will assume “with immediate effects, the interim technical command” of the Leonina team, already commanding the training of Monday, which will take place from 10:30 am, at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy, to prepare the meeting against Shakhtar, in which will already be the current coach of the B team to command the reins.
Old I League acquaintance may be in the gutter to succeed Paulo Fonseca in Lyon
For Paulo Fonseca to leave the club in France, we must always guard the situation on the Lyon side to make the transition. For this position, which may become vacant in the next few days, there are two names that begin to gain strength.
On the one hand, L’Equipe is advancing that Thiago Motta is one of the candidates to be the next trainer of the Gaul club, although, on the other hand, the newspaper The Ball is naming Carlos Vicens as a possibility, given the help of Jorge Mendes in this process, with former Sporting Braga to be close to return to active, shortly after leaving the Pedreira.