Liverpool lead Arsenal in the race to sign Fabio Vieira and the Premier League giants will be getting a ‘special’ talent in the Portugal U21 ace, former Porto youth coach Manuel Tulipa tells Agencia Lusa.
It’s only four months since Luis Diaz was holding a Liverpool scarf above his head, posing for photos at Anfield.
It almost feel as if the Colombian has been around for years, such is the impact he’s made in Jurgen Klopp’s already fearsome frontline.
There was understandable excitement, then, when The Mirror (15 May, page 77) reported that Liverpool had secured first refusal on another Estadio do Dragao star.
One with a bargain £12 million release clause in his contract.
“Fabio Vieira is special, as he can see everything,” says Tulipa.
“He is a player who can play the last pass and who arrives in the penalty area, scores goals from mid-range and dead balls. He’s also improving in terms of his pressing.”
Arsenal and Liverpool want Fabio Vieira from Porto
A visionary playmaker who can thread passes through packed defences while pressing opposition players into submission; No wonder Klopp likes him.
The Mirror claim that Arsenal are also big fans of Vieira – having first been linked back in 2020 – but Liverpool’s interest goes back some way too.
It was reported around 12 months ago that the Champions League finalists were willing to offer Marko Grujic as part of a deal that would have seen Vieira move to Anfield shortly after being named Player of the Tournament at the U21 European Championships, following in the footsteps of Thiago Alcantara back in 2013.
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“What surprises me is the way he displays his quality when many teams are in a low block,” Tulipa adds. “These players are the ones worth a lot of money.”
Well, most of the time anyway. Vieira’s £12 million release clause, albeit with the condition of add-ons, means Porto’s hopes of bringing in another huge fee for another huge talent could soon go up in smoke.
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