Farioli asks, Villas-Boas acts, FC Porto open talks for Souza | OneFootball

FC Porto is about to officially begin the 2026/27 season, with the Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup against Torreense scheduled for next Saturday. Even so, André Villas-Boas remains committed to meeting the requests of Francesco Farioli. The Italian coach wants to strengthen the left side of the defense and add another center-forward to the attack, with the Porto president having opened talks with Tottenham with a view to signing João Souza, Antena 1 reported this Wednesday.

The 20-year-old defender has been tracked by the Dragons for quite some time, ever since he began standing out in Santos’ youth ranks. However, last summer Tottenham moved for his signing, paying 15 million euros for the player.

His spell in England has not gone as expected, however. Souza failed to establish himself last season, making only four appearances, and Spurs are now said to be willing to let him leave for the same amount.

Given this scenario, Villas-Boas and the blue-and-white SAD are preparing an offer capable of meeting the English club’s demands without jeopardizing FC Porto’s financial balance. Two options are on the table: a permanent transfer for 15 million euros or a loan with an obligation to buy at the end of next season.

The required investment, however, will not be limited to the transfer fee. Souza’s wages are also high when compared with the current salary structure of Porto’s squad. The Brazilian, who is from São Paulo, earns two million euros gross per year in London, a salary that would immediately place him among FC Porto’s five highest-paid players.

The board led by Villas-Boas will therefore have to reach an agreement with the player so that he agrees to reduce his earnings. In that process, they may point to the prospect of more regular playing time and the chance to feature in the Champions League, something that is not expected to happen at Tottenham in the new season.

Benfica reportedly offered 20 million euros

FC Porto’s entry into the race for Souza comes after Benfica allegedly submitted a 20-million-euro offer for the player. The information was published last Sunday by Diário do Peixe.

According to the same outlet, Santos also retained 10% of any future transfer involving Souza. Taking FIFA’s solidarity mechanism into account as well, the Brazilian club could receive around 1.2 million euros.

Diogo Costa back, Cláudio Ramos injured

For the time being, Farioli is expected to turn to Francisco Moura or Zaidu to fill the left-back position in the first official match of the season. In goal, Diogo Costa is ready to return to the starting lineup after rejoining the blue-and-whites in training this Wednesday following his vacation period after World Cup 2026.

Meanwhile, Cláudio Ramos has suffered a muscle injury in his right thigh, joining the group of unavailable players. That list also includes Martim Fernandes, Vasco Sousa, André Miranda, Oskar Pietuszewski and Samu, all doing modified training.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.