Sporting Lisbon are confident of finalising a deal to sign Fulham midfielder Bryan Ruiz in the next few days, according to reports from Portugal.
The Costa Rican international was widely expected to leave Craven Cottage at the end of the month, but Fulham exercised an option in his last contract to trigger a one-year extension in an effort to recoup some more for one of their highly-rated assets. The 29 year-old had been set to sign for Levante on loan in January only for the paperwork not to be completed in time, which saw Ruiz remain in London make 32 appearances for Fulham in the Championship last season.
Ruiz rarely managed to hit the heights he achieved so effortlessly in helping FC Twente win the Dutch title in 2011 after signing for a reported £11m that August. He had been thought to be a certainty to leave London after starring in Costa Rica’s run to the World Cup quarter finals last summer, but a bid matching Fulham’s valuation never materialised. He was reintegrated into the Fulham when Kit Symons replaced Felix Magath at the helm and scored eight goals with five assists during what was a truncated season.
Sporting Lisbon, who finished third in the Portuguese league last term and have the prospect of a Champions’ League qualifier to come, are hopeful of concluding a deal which would be worth around €2 million by the end of this week, according to Portuguese newspaper A Bola.
