FC Porto eye João Souza buy or loan with obligation | OneFootball

After winning the Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup, FC Porto is getting ready to begin the defense of its national title. Although the priority is the start of the league campaign, the club remains attentive to the market, as two of Francesco Farioli’s requests have yet to be fulfilled. The Italian coach wants a left-back and a striker, and it is up to André Villas-Boas to find the best solutions.

The Porto president has several players shortlisted and has already moved forward with formal contacts for some of them. Even so, he is not expected to rush, instead seeking to secure reinforcements who would represent real added value for the squad.

Experience shows that as the close of the transfer window approaches, clubs tend to become more open to lowering the asking prices for players they want to sell. That is precisely the opportunity FC Porto hopes to seize in order to sign Farioli’s targets for more affordable fees.

Villas-Boas has already used this strategy in the past. Last summer, he managed to secure Jakub Kiwior from Arsenal at a late stage of the transfer window, giving the coach one of the season’s most important signings.

The Polish defender arrived at the Dragão on loan and ended up staying permanently at the end of the season, after FC Porto invested a further 17 million euros to sign a player who became undisputed in Farioli’s team.

Souza, the new Kiwior?

Now, less than a year later, the Porto chief is looking to repeat the formula and offer a new ‘gift’ to the coach who brought the championship title back to the Dragão. For the left-back position, there is already a priority target, although signing him will require a complex negotiation.

The name in question is João Souza, the Brazilian full-back who has no room in Roberto De Zerbi’s plans at Tottenham. The London club, however, will only consider negotiating the player for a fee of no less than 20 million euros.

FC Porto has been tracking the 20-year-old for several seasons, since before he swapped Santos for Tottenham last summer. At the moment, the Dragons are trying to determine whether it will be possible to complete his move to the Dragão.

Given the club’s current financial situation, Villas-Boas will have to find a balanced solution without going overboard. According to the latest information, two possibilities are being considered: an immediate purchase for 20 million euros or a loan with an obligation to buy, allowing the payment of that amount to be spread out, similar to what happened with Kiwior.

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