Nuno Tavares from Lazio, Tom Rothe of Union Berlin, Joaquín Piquerez from Palmeiras, and Catanzaro's Costantino Favasuli were several players associated with Sporting CP while the club was seeking an alternative to Maxi Araújo. It was reported that the Lisbon club was searching for a young player from the European market with potential for growth, but it has been made clear that Tavares and the other mentioned players are not in the plans at Alvalade.