Nestori Irakunda has become Australia’s most expensive footballer of all time after his move to the Portuguese giants was reportedly agreed on Wednesday morning.
NewsWire first reported on Tuesday that leading Premier League side Sporting CP are preparing to update their offer to English club Watford to secure Socceroo’s services.
According to NewsWire, Watford rejected an initial offer of £10 million ($A19.18 million) plus two million pounds ($A3.83 million) in bonuses.
Portuguese media have reported that a deal has already been struck for the English club to let Iracunda go and join Sporting.
Portuguese media outlet X’s coverage of Sporting reported that the deal was worth a staggering $27.7 million (€17 million).
The record transfer fee for an Australian was $23 million. It was established when Leicester City bought Harry Souttar from Stoke City in 2022.
The move means 20-year-old Irankunda will have the opportunity to play in the 2026-27 Champions League. Sporting qualified for the Champions League by finishing second in the Primeira Liga.
Over the past six seasons, Sporting have won the championship three times.
The club’s former players include superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who began his career there before moving to Manchester United in 2003.
Irankunda, who scored Australia’s only win at the recent World Cup – a 2-0 victory over Turkey in Vancouver – only joined Watford on a five-year deal in July 2025 from German giants Bayern Munich.
According to NewsWire, negotiations on the deal with Irakunda are being led by former ex-A-League star Fahid Ben Khalfallah, whose clients include Melbourne Victory star Juan Mata, Socceroos and Norwich City striker Mohamed Toure, and another former Adelaide United striker Yaya Dukuli, who recently joined Slovenian champions Celje.
Irankunda made his Socceroos debut as a teenager in June 2024 and scored six goals in 19 appearances for the national team.
His coup comes after Socceroos defender Lucas Herrington was linked with a move to Spanish colossus Barcelona.
After taking MLS by storm this year with the Colorado Rapids, Herrington made his international debut in March.
MLS insider Tom Bogert, who writes for The Athletic, posted on social media last month that Barcelona was among the clubs interested in Herrington.
According to the CIES Football Observatory, Herrington’s estimated value is between $23 million and $30 million, so if Barcelona or any other rival team can successfully bid for the Australian, it would likely be a record amount.
No Australian has ever played for the Catalan giants who won La Liga in the season just gone.
Herrington has previously been linked with English Premier League side Everton, as well as recently relegated West Ham, but the thought of the Queenslander gracing the Nou Camp is whetting the appetite of Australian football fans.