Sporting break silence on Ruben Amorim and Man Utd with public statement hours before Nacional clash

Portuguese club Sporting have issued a public statement on Ruben Amorim's future as talks continue with Manchester United.

Amorim, 39, is the overwhelming favourite to replace former United manager Erik ten Hag, who was sacked by the Red Devils on Monday.

His dismissal came in the wake of their 2-1 defeat to West Ham, which left the club in 14th place in the Premier League after nine matches.

Ruud van Nistelrooy has been placed in temporary charge of United while they conduct their search for Ten Hag's permanent replacement, with Sporting boss Amorim now in advanced talks for the role.

The former Portugal international is under contract with Sporting until 2026, although he has several release clauses in his current deal.

As reported by The Times, one release clause included in Amorim's Sporting contract is set at €30 million (£24.9m) for rival Portuguese teams, and another at €20 million (£16.6m) for the majority of foreign clubs.

However, for a small group of elite clubs - including United - Amorim is instead able to leave for €10 million (£8.3m).

United are now set to trigger this clause, according to a public statement released by Sporting hours before their Portuguese League Cup match against Nacional.

"Manchester United has expressed an interest in hiring coach Ruben Amorim, with the Board of Directors of Sporting SAD referring to the terms and conditions set out in the employment contract in force between the company and the coach, specifically the respective termination clause and the amount of €10m," read a financial statement from the club, as reported by Portuguese outlet A Bola.

"Manchester United has expressed an interest in paying Sporting SAD the amount of the aforementioned clause."

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Amorim is in talks to become the next United manager (Image: Getty)

The report also claims representatives from United will travel to Portugal on Tuesday evening to finalise the deal.

It means the Sporting's Taça da Liga clash with Nacional is likely to be Amorim's final game in charge of the club, with the Portuguese coach set to be confirmed as United's next permanent manager in time for Sunday's Premier League clash with Chelsea.

Up first for United, however, is a Carabao Cup round of 16 match against Leicester on Wednesday night, with Van Nistelrooy set to oversee first-team duties at Old Trafford.