Wolves midfielder Joao Moutinho is willing to take a pay cut to seal a dream return to Porto, according to A Bola, and that could open the door for more dreams to come true as Sergio Oliveira looks to join Tottenham Hotspur.
Dragoes coach Sergio Conceicao must be wishing Oliveira was as committed to the cause as Moutinho as Porto look to wrestle the Primeira Liga crown back from rivals Sporting Lisbon next season.
The feel-good factor that would accompany Moutinho’s homecoming, seven years after he swapped Portugal for the Principality, is in danger of being overshadowed by the departure of a man who scored more goals last season (20) than across his five previous seasons at the Estadio do Dragao combined (14).
It was Record that supplied the claims, reporting last week that Oliveira is holding out for a move to Tottenham Hotspur before the 31 August deadline.
At the age of 29, the Porto academy graduate may feel he’ll never have a better chance of joining a major European league and there’s certainly room in north London for a midfielder capable of breaking the 20-goal barrier.
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Tanguy Ndombele was the highest-scoring midfielder in Spurs’ squad last season – and he managed just three in the Premier League.
Will Moutinho replace Tottenham target Sergio Oliveira at Porto?
Oliveira, meanwhile, completed an unexpected transition from useful squad player to goalscoring talisman in 2020/21. The most important of his career-best 20 goals was the long-range free-kick that knocked Juventus out of the Champions League – with a helping hand from Cristiano Ronaldo and Wojciech Szczesny, of course.
“Not everyone can be an Mbappe. He has been playing at the highest level since he was 18, and that’s not the norm. The norm is perhaps a career like mine, with difficulties, loans, developing both personally and professionally,” the late-blooming Oliveira told the UEFA website recently.
“I can say I’m at the peak of my career – but it wasn’t easy!”
Porto don’t often stand in the way of want-away players, cashing in on Fabio Silva, Alex Telles, Danilo Pereira, Eder Militao and more in recent windows. And, after years of loyal service, it would leave a sour taste if they stood in Oliveira’s way, even if he does have four seasons left on his contract.
A Bola reports Porto’s interest in Moutinho is a direct result of the uncertainty surrounding Oliveira’s future.
If the Primeira Liga giants want to welcome back an old favourite, they may have to bid farewell to a long-serving star who’s in the form of his life.
You win some, you lose some, literally in this case.
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