Portugal squad primed for frenzied transfer activity

Intense speculation surrounds seven Euro 2008 players

Portugal crashed out of Euro 2008 earlier than most of their fans expected in the quarter-finals against Germany last week, but that hasn’t stopped much of the squad from attracting interest from all over Europe.

At least seven of the Portuguese squad that travelled to Switzerland are expected to attract bids from some of the continent’s largest clubs in the coming weeks.

The biggest transfer saga of the summer, of course, is the ongoing tug of war between Manchester United and Real Madrid for winger Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Premiership club are desperately trying to keep hold of their prized asset, but Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster today admitted that the Spanish giants are prepared to pay a staggering 100 million euros to bring the former Sporting player to the Bernabeu stadium.

With Luiz Felipe Scolari taking over as Chelsea’s new manager and Jose Mourinho making a return to coaching at Inter Milan, two of the world’s richest clubs are now guided by men who know the top Portuguese players inside out.

A perfect example of this is midfield maestro Deco. The Brazilian born Portugal international, who has been released by Barcelona, was a key member of Mourinho’s FC Porto Champions League winning side, and was in sparkling form under Scolari at Euro 2008. Both managers have intimated they would like to work with Deco in 2008/09.

Chelsea connection

The Chelsea career of Paulo Ferreira may have been saved by Scolari’s appointment at the London club. Following the purchase of compatriot Bosingwa, Ferreira looked odd-on to leave the Blues, but “Big Phil” showed at Euro 2008 that the utility defender is a player he appreciates.

Another Chelsea player whose future is yet to be defined is central defender Ricardo Carvalho. Now 30, Carvalho admitted that he would like to team up again with Mourinho in Milan, albeit before Scolari had been named as his new manager.

Two more players who have revealed they are keen on taking up new challenges are FC Porto winger Ricardo Quaresma and Valencia right-back Miguel. The duo played little part in Portugal’s Euro 2008 campaign, and they feel a fresh challenge is required to kick-start their careers.

Meanwhile, Sporting pair Joao Moutinho and Miguel Veloso continue to be linked with a move abroad on almost a daily basis. Moutinho did his chances of a big-money move abroad no harm with excellent showings at Euro 2008, with Barcelona and Everton rumoured to be pondering a bid for the diminutive midfielder.

Veloso was sparingly used by Scolari in Switzerland, but that has not stopped AC Milan openly expressing their interest in the classy defensive midfielder.

With around two months to go until kick-off of the new season, it is definitely a case of watch this space…


Euro 2008 Portugal diary