Crystal Palace and Southampton both had bids to sign Vitinha rejected on deadline day as he opted to join Marseille.
What’s the story?
Well, O Jogo in Portugal believe Patrick Vieira and Nathan Jones both wanted to sign the Portugal Under-21 international before Tuesday’s 11pm deadline.
The Portuguese news outlet states that Crystal Palace and Southampton both triggered Vitinha’s €30m (£27m) release clause – as did Brighton – although the striker himself rejected all three Premier League sides.
Eventually, the 22-year-old joined Marseille in a €32m (£28m) deal after the French giants offered to pay a bit more than his release clause to ensure they won the race for his signature.
O Jogo add that Crystal Palace, Southampton and Brighton fought to the end to sign Vitinha, but he simply had no interest in moving to England at this stage of his career.
The Portuguese wonderkid earned his move to Marseille after scoring 13 goals in 27 appearances for Braga so far this season, while also providing five assists.
Southampton found alternative as Crystal Palace went without
Impressively, the Saints had a backup option to Vitinha, moving to sign Paul Onuachu from KRC Genk after learning that the Portuguese striker had no interest in joining.
The Nigeria international represents an exciting move for Southampton, having scored 17 goals in just 22 appearances so far this season.
With Kamaldeen Sulemana also arriving at St Mary’s to provide service for Onuachu, it was an interesting deadline day for Southampton.
Unfortunately for Crystal Palace, they did not sign an alternative to Vitinha, only wrapping up deals for two midfielders in Albert Sambi Lokonga and Naouirou Ahamada.
However, with Wilfried Zaha set to leave when his contract expires at the end of the season, we expect the south Londoners to sign a new forward to replace him this summer.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
