Journalist Conor McGilligan has outlined why Leeds United will struggle to sign Porto star midfielder Otavio this summer, claiming the club doesn’t have to sell and his profile is the highest it has ever been.
Leeds are looking to improve on their already productive summer transfer window, which has seen the likes of Brenden Aaronson and Marc Roca, with links to Porto star man Otavio, who has garnered interest from Premier League giants Liverpool recently.
However, according to McGilligan, the Yorkshire outfit might struggle to capture the signature of the player as the Portuguese club does not need to sell after their recent success in the market and the player’s high profile could also be a problem.
He said on the One Leeds Fan Channel, “Porto are literally in profit central right now; they don’t have to do anything. Otavio is a prized asset, he’s in the prime of his career, 27 years of age… his profile is probably the best it has been so this could be a problem for Leeds United”. (10:18)
TIF Thoughts on McGilligan’s comments…
As McGilligan stated, Porto has put themselves in a great position this summer as they do not have to sell Otavio after their success of selling both Luis Diaz last January and Fabio Vieira this summer, which has seen the club bring in £34m with £5m add ons for Vieira and potentially £47m for Diaz.
Last season the Portugal international racked up five goals and 14 assists for Porto across all competitions while averaging 1.5 shots, 2.1 key passes, 1.3 dribbles, three tackles, and 2.2 long balls per game while ranking in the 95th percentile for shot-creating actions, and the 99th for pressures and tackles compared to other attacking midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues.
It was recently reported Porto rejected a £25.9m bid from the Whites so if they want to acquire the impressive £27m-rated player they will need to cough up a larger fee, but looking at the stats it is hard to argue he wouldn’t be worth it.
Will Leeds sign Otavio?Yes
No
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