André Franco impresses Chicago Fire: “Talks ongoing with FC Porto” | OneFootball

Felipe Çelikkaya, assistant coach of the Chicago Fire, gave a lengthy interview this Thursday to Rádio Renascença, in which he spared no praise for André Franco, currently on loan from FC Porto to the North American team until the end of the 2025 calendar year.

“I pushed hard for him to come here, especially since he wasn’t playing at Porto, and he did very well until his injury. We intend to keep him. There are always talks between Porto and Chicago Fire. Then, based on those talks, a final decision is made, but if he stays with us, I’ll be very grateful,” he said.

Trained in Sporting’s youth academy, André Franco moved to FC Porto in the summer of 2022, coming from Estoril, where he had shown all the potential he was known for, in a deal valued at around four million euros for 90% of his rights.

The midfielder signed a contract valid until June 2027, but was unable to establish himself at Dragão. After 71 official matches for Porto – scoring five goals and providing four assists – he went on loan to Chicago Fire, having failed to convince the Italian coach Francesco Farioli.

In the USA, the 27-year-old player recorded four assists in six matches before suffering, on October 1, a right knee injury in the 5-3 win over Inter Miami, a match that required surgical intervention.

“Everything indicates that I’ll stay here”

In the same interview, Çelikkaya expressed his intention to remain on the Chicago Fire bench, after helping the team achieve the minimum goal of qualifying for the MLS playoffs, even though they were eliminated in the first round by Philadelphia Union.

“Everything indicates that I’ll stay here, especially since I have a contract. There are practically no Portuguese people here, but people look at our work with great respect,” he emphasized.

“Chelsea will have the chance to polish this diamond that is Geovany Quenda even further”

To conclude, the 40-year-old coach praised Geovany Quenda, a youngster he helped develop in Sporting’s youth ranks and who already has an agreement to transfer to Chelsea in the next summer transfer window for 50 million euros – a figure that could rise to 51.5 million depending on sporting objectives being met.

“The competitive level of the leagues is totally different. Naturally, he will have to go through an adaptation process to the league, but he is also young and has time for that adaptation. I see this as an investment on Chelsea’s part and an opportunity for the coach to polish this diamond even further,” concluded the coach, whose résumé includes stints at clubs such as Benfica, Vitória SC, and Shakhtar Donetsk.

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