Sporting manager Silas believes Bruno Fernandes is one of the best midfielders around and says he deserves to play in the Premier League.
The 25-year-old has been heavily linked to Manchester United, who are said to be determined to sign him from the Portuguese giants this month.
Sporting are reportedly demanding €65 million (£55m/$72m) for the former Udinese and Sampdoria man, though Silas says he is worth even more than is being talked about.
And while the 43-year-old does not know when the move will be wrapped up, he says he will not try to discourage Fernandes from leaving for Old Trafford at this point in the season.
When asked at a press conference if he can count on the star for Sporting's upcoming Taca da Liga semi-final clash against Sporting Braga, Silas replied: "I don't know. For now I think so. I will prepare for the game with Bruno in mind, but from here on out I don't know what could happen.
"He's a player who wants to play in a league superior to ours. What player wouldn't want to play in the English league? It's hard to tell him: 'don't go'.
"Bruno deserves to play in those kind of leagues and the best is that one. If he is one of the best he has to be there."
But the coach is confident his side will be able to recover from the loss of their star man.
"In that situation, we have to look for other tactics," he said when asked how they will cope without him. "There's a lot of teams in Portugal that don't have Bruno, don't they? They look for other tactics. We will be missing out on some things and gaining in others."
He added: "It becomes inevitable that we talk about [entering the transfer market]. We need people to help us, to make the squad more competitive."
The Lisbon side are sitting fourth in the Primeira Liga after 17 games but sit 19 points behind Benfica after losing 2-0 at home to the leaders on Friday.