Sporting has gone to work to sign Alejandro Marqués, a 25-year-old striker who is owned by Estoril, a Portuguese First Division club, in an operation advanced exclusively by LA NUEVA ESPAÑA in its digital edition. In Mareo they also have open negotiations for Jon Karrikaburu, Real Sociedad forward, who has the possibility of joining Racing de Santander. Right now they are two of the main options that are on the table of the Gijón club, which has launched a strong effort to finalize the arrival of a center forward.
There are more names and different offers are being studied. But in the last few hours the path of Marqués, an absolute international for Venezuela, has gained strength, without this implying neglecting the Karrikaburu option, which is still alive, as long as he has not committed to another club, with Racing as the first candidate. Marqués is a forward who generates consensus in the club and pleases Borja Jiménez, the rojiblanco coach. The problem is the economic issue. The outlay required for his incorporation is high and there is also interest from other clubs in acquiring his services. In any case, Marqués and Karrikaburu, along with Izeta, are three of the names that Sporting is using to try to make a leap in quality in the attack in the second half of the championship.
The red and white club has already begun working on the operation with Alejandro Marqués’ representation agency, Wasserman, in addition to maintaining contacts with Estoril, a club that is currently asking for financial compensation to release the forward, whose contract ends on June 30. Marqués was just a few days ago the starter in Estoril’s (3-1) defeat against Benfica, at the Estadio da Luz. The footballer is free to negotiate with another club for June – also with Sporting, which considers him a high-level player and whom he has had under control for years – but he is in the process of leaving Estoril this January market.
In Mareo they want it right now, that’s why they have opened communications. Estoril, meanwhile, does not want to let the attacker leave without financial compensation of some kind, who this season has played eleven games in the highest category of Portugal, where he has a poster, since last year he scored 10 goals in the first Portuguese competition. Marqués wants to return to Spain, where he already played for Barça B and Mirandés, and welcomes the option of joining Sporting. At the moment, the operation is in a very initial phase, to mature, and it is not even clear that this January market will come out. Sporting, in any case, has placed this forward as one of its first objectives. With the departures of Caicedo and Cortés, pending to be made official, the Gijón club is first targeting the “9” and then they will open up to other needs, such as a versatile attacker and a central defender. In Mareo they are clear that before advancing in other areas they must first close the arrival of an attacker to add alternatives to the squad in the second round.