Just 24 hours after selling Fábio Vieira to Arsenal, FC Porto are set to conclude another high-profile departure as midfielder Vitinha is on the brink of a move to French champions Paris Saint-Germain.
According to reports close to both parties in Portugal and France, the clubs have agreed a fee and Vitinha will sign a five-year contract at the Parc des Princes. Estimates over the fee vary, with some indication that the price may be under the €40m stipulated as a release clause in Vitinha’s contract at Estádio do Dragão.
The move for Vitinha would be the first significant contribution of PSG’s new sporting director Luís Campos, who arrived at the club earlier this month. The Portuguese has extensive experience in French football at Monaco and Lille and is known to favour the market in his homeland, having previously brought the likes of João Moutinho, Bernardo Silva, Rafael Leão and Renato Sanches to Ligue 1.
Campos is an intriguing figure. Once regarded as a bright coaching prospect who took charge of Leiria at the age of 27, he later famously beat José Mourinho’s Porto in 2004 while boss of Gil Vicente. Since then, Campos worked with Mourinho at Real Madrid in the analytical department, before venturing into a sporting director role with Monaco.
Vitinha is expected to complete the move to Paris in the coming days, with trusty super agent Jorge Mendes finalising the terms. The midfielder featured in 47 matches for Sérgio Conceição’s Dragons last term, scoring four goals and providing four assists. The 22-year-old’s form earned him a first senior international call-up earlier this year and Vitinha made his debut in the World Cup play-off final win over North Macedonia. He also featured in Portugal’s recent Nations League matches.
By Sean Gillen
