Jota, Al Musrati, Palhinha, Nuñez, Domingos Duarte and more: The latest transfer news
With the summer transfer window soon to open, here's a look at some of the latest transfer news and reports regarding Portuguese football.
Ruben Amorim to PSG?
We'll start with a potential managerial move. With Mauricio Pochettino fully expected to depart the French champions, an important vacancy has now opened up, and with Luis Campos to be the new sporting director, with him could come further Portuguese staff, namely Ruben Amorim, who is one the primary candidates to take over from the Argentinian.
Zinedine Zidane was widely regarded as the true number one choice, but his desires continue to seemingly lie elsewhere, hoping still to succeed Deschamps as the head coach of the French national team.
However, while Amorim is the name currently most associated with Paris, there is encouragement that the 37-year old is very open to continuing at Sporting CP, and the most opportune window to attract him away from the club has passed. This is a very dynamic situation though, and his future, and therefore that of Sporting, remains uncertain.
Relentless interest in João Palhinha
Palhinha's departure from Sporting CP seems inevitable. This is not the first window where his exit has been on the cards, but on this occasion, interest is stronger and Sporting are happy with the displays of Ugarte in the same role, ensuring they have a ready-made replacement for the Portuguese international.
So important to Sporting in their most unlikely of title triumphs last season, he has proven a quality defensive midfielder, hence why the likes of Atletico Madrid, Napoli and Bayer Leverkusen have been linked with his services.
Wolves are another side once again understood to hold an interest in him, as they did two summers ago, and with Ruben Neves expected to leave the club this window, an opportunity may present itself to make Palhinha a direct replacement.
At one point Palhinha was expected to be sold for no less than his 60 million euro release clause; much has changed since then, and Sporting would now entertain proposals as low as 25 million euros.
Benfica target Al Musrati on Fulham's radar
Long associated with a move to Benfica last summer, the Libyan international is attracting interest from England, with Marco Silva’s Fulham pushing for his signature.
Word from his home country is that this transfer is a foregone conclusion, and Al Musrati will be testing himself in the most reputable league in the world next campaign as the defensive midfielder in Silva’s newly promoted side. With his contract up in 2024, his departure looks inevitable - whether it will be to Fulham, or if Benfica reinforce their interest, remains unclear, but the fee will likely be in the region of 12 million euros.
Renato Sanches expected to be on the move
Portugal's direct and exciting central midfielder came off an underwhelming season in France with Lille, but his stock remains exceptionally high, and with good reason. With such impressive qualities for a box to box midfielder, he offers much that so many teams are missing, adding such energy and technical ability to a team's game.
AC Milan have for so long been known as the most likely destination for the Euro 2016 champion, and this remains the case today. PSG may be attempting a late bid for him though.
Vitória Guimarães’ Andre Almeida could be next to go
Following the exit of Ricardo Quaresma on a free transfer to help alleviate Vitória's financial concerns, the sale of one of their biggest assets is also likely, namely young Almeida.
Another good season from the 21-year old has only further bolstered his reputation among the Guimarães faithful, but his time at the club he has represented since his childhood could be coming to an end, with Wolverhampton Wanderers are the club that have shown the most concrete interest in his services so far.
So early in the summer ensures that it's highly possible that nothing may come of the interest by Bruno Lage's side, with several players to be under review by the club as they look to bolster their squad, but currently Molineux looks like the most likely destination for this rising star.
Jota and his path with Celtic
Jota is now fully expected to make his stay in Scotland permanent. Celtic have always had the option to turn the loan into a full transfer, but it's no secret that the possibility of returning to Benfica and playing a key role at his childhood club was an enticing prospect for Jota.
By now, however, the former Portuguese youth star has been convinced by the project at Celtic, having been so adored by supporters in a stadium famed for its impressive atmosphere, and the chance to play Champions League football with the Scottish champions will have only further helped in his decision making. As ‘A Bola' indicate, it would take a huge reversal for Jota to be playing for anyone but Celtic next season.
Benfica will retain 30% of any future sell on fee for the 23-year old.
Darwin Nuñez is leaving - but his destination is unpredictable
The biggest worst-kept secret of this transfer window is that Darwin Nuñez is to leave SL Benfica this summer after a scintillating season in Lisbon. It will be hard for Benfica fans to say goodbye to a player who quickly became something of a fan favourite, but the seismic transfer fee they're expected to get - and the potential to further accelerate their rebuild under Roger Schmidt - could help ease the pain.
PSG were heavily linked, expected to go in for the Uruguayan should Mbappe's move to Real Madrid take place. He's now staying in Paris, opening the door for other clubs.
Real Madrid cannot be ruled out as Nuñez's next destination as they look for a sizeable alternative to one of the world’s best - in fact, they currently feel the most likely destination - while Man Utd and Arsenal are also in the race, though the latter strongly favour Gabriel Jesus.
Ultimately there are not too many clubs in the world that could afford to sign Nuñez this window, limiting the number of potential destinations considerably. Could Atletico Madrid come in for him, having shopped in the Portuguese market on so many occasions? Would Bayern make him a priority if Lewandowski were to leave? Would Liverpool be willing to pay big money to get a versatile forward to replace Origi? All three seem very unlikely, and they are already among a very small subset of feasible destinations.
This therefore feels like it will come down to a ‘battle' - pending on each club’s genuine interest - between Real Madrid, Manchester United, Arsenal, Barcelona and then, the wildcard, Newcastle United.
The future of Domingos Duarte
There was heartache for Domingos Duarte this weekend following Granada's final day relegation from Spain's La Liga. The Portuguese international, who was included in Fernando Santos' latest Portugal squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures, is therefore a player expecting a move elsewhere this summer.
Espanyol, the team who coincidentally relegated Duarte, are the side that have shown most interest in his services of late, but much could still change, particularly if his future is not sorted before the Nations League, where his performances could attract a larger audience.
Other players to keep an eye on this summer
There are plenty of other players to also keep a close eye on an the window unfolds. Alongside Domingos Duarte, Portuguese goalkeeper Luis Maximiano also suffered relegation from La Liga with Granada. Having made the most saves in La Liga last season, he is one that is deserving of a higher level than second tier football.
Fran Navarro is a name also attracting much interest thanks to an excellent season at Gil Vicente. Ricardo Soares' side have brought in Ali Alipour, widely considered a potential replacement to the Spanish striker, who has been closely followed by SC Braga, among others.
Another player outside the Big Four set for a move is Morita. The Santa Clara star is expected to be Sporting CP's latest signing.
Alex Telles has also been linked with a move back to Porto. The Portuguese champions will be looking to improve their defence ahead of the new campaign, and the left back returning would be a huge boost.
Rafael Leão, crudely referred to as the Portuguese Mbappe in the past after making an impression in France while at Lille, has just come off a sensational title-winning season with AC Milan and his reputation is higher than it has ever been thanks to his stunning exploits in Italy, a league that has proved difficult for top level strikers previously, most notably Andre Silva, who went on to flourish in Germany. Leão should be one of the most sought after strikers in world football.
