Southampton skipper Jose Fonte is hopeful of luring João Mário to St. Mary’s.

Speaking to Portuguese outlet Mais Futebol, Southampton captain Jose Fonte has revealed that he is looking to pull some strings in order to lure alleged Chelsea and Manchester United target João Mário to the St. Mary’s Stadium.
Mário enjoyed a breakthrough campaign this season, where his seven goals and 12 assists nearly guided Sporting Lisbon to their first Portuguese Primeira Liga title in over 15 years.

Unfortunately, Benfica beat Sporting to the crown by the narrowest of margins and the missed opportunity would certainly have been heartbreaking for the young midfielder.
Nonetheless, Mario will be heading to the European Championship with Portugal later this year and a big money move to one of the elite clubs could be on the cards for the 23-year-old this summer, with both Chelsea and Manchester United said to be very interested.

It has recently been suggested that Southampton are also looking at the possibility of signing Mario and now Saints’ skipper Jose Fonte has gone on to reveal that he is planning to lure his international compatriot to the St. Mary’s Stadium.
The defender told Mais Futebol: “I think he (Mario) should go to Southampton! He’s a great player, with great quality, he’s said to be going to England, and has the quality for Manchester United or Chelsea. I’ll make everything so he can come to Southampton. Let’s see.”
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