Championship contenders Fulham have signed Portuguese forward Ivan Cavaleiro from Wolverhampton Wanderers on a season-long loan deal. The former Benfica man leaves Wolves for London after three years at the club, with the deal containing the option for a permanent transfer next summer.
Meanwhile, veteran Portugal midfielder Miguel Veloso is staying in Italy after leaving Genoa, having agreed a one-year deal with newly-promoted Hellas Verona. Hoping to stay put in France is Anthony Lopes, who continues to negotiate with Lyon over a major contract renewal, while Adrien Silva is keen to make his stay in France with Monaco permanent and Manuel Fernandes is set to make a decision on his future.
Cavaleiro became the second Portuguese to depart Nuno Espírito Santo’s Wolves this summer for a club in the Championship. Hélder Costa moved to Leeds United on a similar loan deal earlier this month and Cavaleiro, 25, will be rivalling his old teammate for a place back in the Premier League as Fulham look to bounce back from relegation last term.
“I’m really happy to be here and sign for Fulham,” Cavaleiro said as he was presented to the media. “This is a big and respected club in England and through the rest of the world. Fulham has been involved in a European final, so it holds great pedigree. This is a good opportunity for me to grow as a player as well so I’m very happy to be here and I’m excited to be meeting everyone today.”
Veloso staying in Italy with Verona
In Italy, promoted side Hellas Verona have agreed terms with veteran Portuguese midfielder Miguel Veloso over a one-year contract. Veloso left Genoa earlier this summer after a total of six years at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris – during which time he married the daughter of the club’s president – across two spells, having also spent four seasons with Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine between 2012-2016.
33-year-old Veloso’s move to Verona, who were promoted to Serie A via the playoffs last year, sees him reunited with former Genoa coach Ivan Juric. Champions of Italy in 1985, Verona’s signing of Veloso makes the 56-time Seleção star the first Portuguese to play for the club.
Iniziate le visite mediche per Miguel #Veloso #HVFC pic.twitter.com/DER5Lp5Ato
— Hellas Verona FC (@HellasVeronaFC) July 12, 2019
Lyon edging closer to Anthony Lopes deal
The future of Anthony Lopes has been the subject of much speculation in France this summer as his deal with Lyon heads into its final year. Lopes is one of the club’s longest-serving players and another impressive campaign between the posts last term has reportedly led to some hefty demands for the renewal of his deal at the Groupama Stadium.
Lopes, who has been capped 7 times by Portugal, is reported to have asked for a doubling of his salary to put him in the same wage bracket as Lyon’s top earners. The 28-year-old’s representatives have also requested a five-year deal for Lopes in recognition of his reliability across six years as first-choice goalkeeper.
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas suggested earlier this summer that a five-year contract was unlikely to be agreed, but Aulas told journalists on Thursday that a deal was near. "We are very, very close to an agreement with Anthony Lopes,” he said. “The fact that it's taking time does not mean it's complicated.”
Lopes has been linked with a move to Portugal with Porto as well as Spanish side Valencia before they announced Barcelona goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen. However, having been born and raised in France (to Portuguese parents) and with Lyon since the age of 9, remaining with Les Gones has always been the priority for Lopes.
Monaco the target for Adrien Silva
Former Sporting midfielder Adrien Silva has made no secret of his displeasure with current club Leicester, and the Portuguese has again spoken of his desire to secure a permanent move to Leonardo Jardim’s Monaco.
Silva’s time with Leicester has been marred by difficulty from the start. The Foxes paid Sporting in excess of €25m in a rush to beat the deadline of the summer 2017 transfer window. However, Silva’s documentation did not arrive with FIFA until 14 seconds after the deadline, and therefore he was ineligible to play for Leicester until the winter window opened.
Silva never truly recovered from the setback, struggling to impress coach Claude Puel when he finally became available for selection. A loan switch to Monaco in January, coming in a swap deal involving Youri Tielemans moving to England, gave the 30-year-old a new start and Silva thrived under Jardim.
A permanent deal for Tielemans to stay in England has been confirmed, but Silva remains with Leicester and unsure of his future. The midfielder criticised the club for his treatment during negotiations to swap the players on long-term deals earlier this summer, and now Silva has again stated his desire to bring his stay with Leicester to an end.
“Leicester was an experience that I didn’t really enjoy, so with the club we decided to look for a solution together,” Silva said earlier in the week. “It did not start well and it was a difficult experience in terms of emotional stability.
“I wanted to discover the Premier League, and I’ve had the opportunity to do that. I’ve seen what I wanted to see. Now my priority is to be happy and for that I need to be on the pitch.
“When you don’t play much, the rest doesn’t work out either. From a family point of view, it was hard to adapt too, the lifestyle is completely different, especially for children. All of that did not help me. In fact, I never managed to catch up with those six months without playing.”
"Monaco my priority. I will never forget what the club did for me. I was very good at this club. I liked working with Leonardo Jardim."
Manuel Fernandes set to stay in Moscow?
Portuguese international Manuel Fernandes is yet to decide on his next move after his contract at Russians Lokomotiv Moscow expired at the end of last season. The midfielder has long been linked with a return to Turkey, where he spent 3.5 years at Besiktas, with Galatasaray and Goztepe chasing the 33-year-old.
Remaining with Lokomotiv, whom Fernandes helped into the Champions League with a winning goal on the last weekend of the season, has now emerged as the most likely outcome. However, with pre-season camps taking place in various countries and the new Russian season already underway, Fernandes needs to see his future settled as soon as possible.
“We continue to talk with Lokomotiv,” said the player’s agent Paulo Barbosa. “Both sides want to sign the contract so we shall see if we can get it done. He’s training twice per day in Moscow to maintain his physical condition. His situation should be resolved soon.”
In other transfer news, former Sporting and Porto defender Miguel Lopes has moved from relegated Akhisarspor to Kayserispor in Turkey, while Reading manager José Gomes has sealed a one-year loan deal for Everton’s young goalkeeper João Virgínia and Romanian second-tier side Universitatea Cluj have signed their firth Portuguese after former Rio Ave forward Rafa arrived.
By Sean Gillen
