British attack strong in Portugal. Hours reserved for Enzo, Porro and Vitinha
The English clubs are making one last move at the end of the market in Portugal to take three of the best players in the I Liga: Benfica player Enzo Fernández, Sportinguista Pedro Porro and Braga-born Vitinha.
Chelsea are trying everything to secure their 16th signing this season and for that their managers are willing to (almost) anything to convince Benfica to release Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernández. Money is not a problem for those bands, so the London club even accepts to pay the 120 million euros contained in the world champion’s termination clause, but in a phased manner and not immediately, as required by the direction led by Rui Costa.
White smoke is expected at any moment over this London offensive in Luz, despite the English press guaranteeing that the deal was well underway. What is certain is that Enzo Fernández did gym work yesterday morning and did not go with the team to the north of Portugal, where tonight (21.15 hours) they face Arouca, in a match of the 18th round of the I Liga. In the preview of the match, coach Roger Schmidt admitted to being “prepared for anything” in these last hours of the market, recalling that Benfica “is not in the driver’s seat”, because “the player has a clause in the contract, so if the player wants and the club pays, it is not possible to prevent” the transfer.
The German coach continues to show a lot of patience with a footballer who has been important throughout the season. Incidentally, if the transfer of Enzo Fernández to Chelsea for 120 million euros is confirmed, the Argentine midfielder will break the Premier League transfer record, held by Manchester City, which in 2021 paid 114 million euros to Aston Villa to have Jack Grealish. Incidentally, in addition to the English winger, only two players cost more than 100 million euros to English clubs: Romelu Lukaku (111 million in 2021) for Chelsea and Paul Pogba (101) for Manchester United.
If Enzo is signed, Chelsea will reach the impressive mark of 610.49 million euros invested in new players during this season, with more than half spent in the winter window alone: 328.5 million euros. It should be noted that the second club that invested the most in the two transfer windows of 2022/23 was Manchester United with… 240.32 million euros.
Pedro Porro at an impasse
On the other side of the Second Ring Road, Spaniard Pedro Porro was blocked from transferring to Tottenham. The impasse arose because Sporting’s SAD will have made demands regarding the payment method of the 45 million euros, which are included in the right-back termination clause.
Porro, who after the League Cup final, in Leiria, said goodbye to Sportinguistas sponsors will have to wait for the last hours of the winter market to find out if, after all, he will travel to England. What is certain is that the player did not train yesterday at the Academy, in Alcochete, which, according to the lions, was duly authorized. It should be noted that he felt information about Manchester City’s last-minute interest in making Pedro Porro return, something that has not yet been confirmed until the close of this edition.
Southampton attack Vitinha
Who seems to be on the way out of Braga is the striker Vitinha Oliveira, 22 years old. According to news published by the English press, Southampton, bottom of the Premier League, is preparing to break a release clause for the player, which is set at 30 million euros.
The Portuguese under-21 international, who this season has scored 13 goals and five assists for Braga, is considered by Southampton officials as a player who could become important for the club to avoid relegation to the Championship. After all, the Saints have scored just 17 goals in 20 Premier League games and are in desperate need of more attacking firepower.
It should be noted that Vitinha has been quite coveted during this winter market, and the president of the Minho region, António Salvador, even rejected proposals worth 20 million euros, reminding interested parties that he has a contract until 2027, so he will only let him out for the 30 million included in the contract.
Pizza in Braga, Luan in Porto
With regard to hiring, the main highlight goes to Sp. Braga, who announced the signing of Pizzi, who left Al Wahda, from the United Arab Emirates, and signed a contract valid until the end of the 2023/24 season.
In turn, FC Porto presented the Brazilian striker Luan Brito, 20 years old, who arrives at Dragão on loan from Fluminense for 18 months, after which the blue and white players have a purchase option worth around 4.5 million euros. For now, it will start with the B team.
Finally, Sporting is preparing to announce in the next few hours the Ivorian defender Ousmane Diomandé, 19 years old, who has represented Mafra this season, by concession from the Danes of Midtjylland, who will receive 7.5 million euros, hoping more than 5 million per objectives have been foreseen.