Paulo Fonseca prepares Lyon's departure for Sporting

Paulo Fonseca will meet on Monday with Olympique Lyon officials to finalize the last details of his departure and confirm the move to Sporting CP. The meeting, scheduled for the morning, comes after the Portuguese coach was approached by the Lisbon club, which presented him with a convincing sporting proposal.

The departure process to Sporting will be discussed at the meeting. Fonseca had been in talks with Lyon to renew his contract, but Sporting's intervention radically changed the picture. The move to the Lions is imminent and, according to O Jogo, he will meet the management of Les Gones.

Negotiation and obstacles

According to Fabrizio Romano, only a few details remain and there are no major obstacles to the move. The newspaper O Jogo reports that, upon hearing Sporting's sporting proposal, the Portuguese coach was convinced to return to Portugal.

Fonseca arrived at Olympique Lyon in February 2025, joining the club from the midway point of the 2024/25 season. Last season, Lyon finished Ligue 1 in fourth place.

Fabrizio Romano reported on Sunday night that Fonseca will be Sporting CP's new head coach. Although he is still under contract with Olympique Lyon, he appears set to replace Rui Borges, who is expected to leave the club. The 53‑year‑old Portuguese currently sits in third place in Ligue 1 with Lyon.

Borges, who has been at Sporting for almost two years, would have to leave next week to make way for Fonseca. It indicates that Sporting still needs to negotiate the termination of Borges's contract. The Lisbon club hopes to have Fonseca among the players already on Tuesday, before the Champions League tie against Shakhtar Donetsk.

Fonseca has already managed FC Porto, SC Braga, AS Roma and AC Milan. Since January 2025, he has been under contract with Lyon until the summer of 2027. Sporting currently sits in third place in the Primeira Liga. The gap to the unbeaten leader, FC Porto, is nine points.