Sporting Kansas City have signed Diego Borges... Or have they?

Reports continue to circulate that Sporting Kansas City have signed center-back Diego Borges. Borges currently plays for Hungarian club Zalaegerszegi TE FC, having only joined the club in September 2025. Reports of Sporting Kansas City's interest in Borges date back to January, with Transfermarkt claiming the club were trying to sign him.

The Brazilian-born 6ft 4in center-back would be the fourth central defender signed this winter if Sporting KC add him to the roster. The club have already signed Wyatt Meyer, Ethan Bartlow, and Or Blorian. However, Blorian won’t join the club until the summer. The quartet would join existing Sporting Kansas City center-backs Ian James and Jansen Miller.

Head coach Raphael Wicky is searching for more ball-playing center-backs who are comfortable playing with the ball at their feet. The spine of the team is an obvious weakness. Last season, Sporting allowed 70 goals to opponents, the most in MLS. This season, Sporting KC have already allowed six goals across three games.

Limited reporting on the transfer

According to Footballupdatehq, a Facebook page with just two followers, have announced Borges’ transfer to Sporting KC. The football news social media account states the MLS club will pay just over $2 million to Zalaegerszegi. The Hungarian team, who signed Borges just nine months ago, will retain a percentage of any future transfer Sporting KC make involving Borges.

Footballupdatehq also claim Sporting Kansas City are trying to sign players Fabricio Amato and Joao Victor. However, these rumours cannot be confirmed at this time. Being a Facebook page with just two followers, any news should be taken with a grain of salt. No major transfer news site is currently reporting Borges to Sporting Kansas City.

Transfermarkt, one of the most reliable football news websites, does list Borges to Sporting Kansas City as a potential deal. However, reports confirming Borges signing for Sporting are still few and far between. Indeed, Transfermarkt has reported Borges to Sporting KC since January. 

There are other social media football transfer accounts announcing Borges’ transfer to Sporting Kansas City. However, each post contains the same information, meaning there is little additional news about a possible deal. It also potentially means there is no transfer, as no one can add further details. 

With Sporting KC now having four center-backs and one more on the way in the summer, adding a sixth doesn’t seem to be the club’s most pressing concern.  Sporting KC are looking to strengthen the squad and are linked with a transfer for Angolan winger Capita.

Borges’ appearances in Hungary

Borges has played just six times for Zalaegerszegi in the Hungarian NB I. He is valued at just $230,000 by Transfermarkt, a small valuation compared to the fee Sporting KC are reportedly paying for the 21-year-old defender.

Borges has not made an appearance for Zalaegerszegi since January 25. Zalaegerszegi defeated Kazincbarcika 1–0 on that occasion, with Borges playing all 90 minutes. Four of Borges’ six appearances saw him complete 90 minutes.

Despite appearing in the club’s win over Kazincbarcika, Borges has not appeared in any of Zalaegerszegi’s last six league games. The club went unbeaten in five of those fixtures. His lack of appearances could be due to a potential move to Sporting Kansas City or simply a tactical decision. Not only did Borges not appear in any of Zalaegerszegi’s last six matches, but he wasn’t on the bench either.