Mourinho and Inter Milan close in on Ricardo Quaresma

Winger earmarked as successor to Luis Figo at San Siro

Jose Mourinho is targeting FC Porto’s Ricardo Quaresma as his first signing as Inter Milan boss. The Italian club’s director of football, Marco Branca, travelled to Porto over the weekend to try and thrash out a deal for the player known as “Harry Potter”.

Branca’s lightning trip was the first round in what is likely to be a tough negotiating process. Porto are holding out for the stipulated 40m euro buyout clause for the talented winger.

It is believed Branca tried to persuade Porto to reduce that sum with the inclusion of players in part exchange. Portuguese midfielder Pele and/or Honduran striker David Suazo are rumoured to have been the names which would have been used to round out the proposed package.

Inter will be back for another round of bargaining as Mourinho holds Quaresma in high esteem and sees him as a successor to Portuguese legend, Luis Figo, who recently signed a one-year extension to his contract at Inter.

Vieirinha goes Greek

In other club news, Porto will loan out U21 forward Vieirinha to Greek side PAOK FC for the 2008/09 season. The Portuguese starlet, who was on loan with Leixoes last season, is finding it difficult to make headway in the squad of the Portuguese champions, and has opted to link up with Portuguese coach Fernando Santos, upon the advice of team-mate Bruno Alves.

“He (Alves) advised me to go there. He told me that their championship is very good and told me a lot about their coach. I expect to go there and evolve, in order to come back with better possibilities,” declared Vieirinha.