Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United send scouts to attend Porto’s Europa League game to identify potential transfer targets
According to the newspaper O Jogo (h/t Mirror), Manchester United, along with a few other European giants, had scouts in attendance at Porto’s recent Europa League game against Olympique Lyon to identify potential new transfer targets.
Porto faced off against Lyon in the first leg of the Round of 16 in the UEFA Europa League, falling to a 1-0 defeat to the Ligue 1 side courtesy of a Lucas Paqueta strike. Although the scouts were watching the game to identify talent from the Portuguese side, they would have to come home disappointed.
It was not just the Red Devils, but also other European clubs like Liverpool and Bayern Munich who sent scouts to the game in order to plan their summer transfer business at the end of the season. However, all of them would not have much to report back to their clubs as very few Porto stars impressed at the Estadio do Dragao.
Porto have been an impressive breeding ground for talented players for a long time now, with European clubs considering it a rewarding hunting ground for themselves. United have not been strangers to this either, signing Alex Telles and Diogo Dalot from the Portuguese outfit.
Potential transfer targets spotted
Although Porto have provided the Red Devils with quality players, it is Sporting CP that have really benefitted the English side. World-class stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes were signed from Sporting in the past years, and there is no question about the Premier League giants being thankful for these players.
Despite losing the first leg of the tie, Porto midfielder Vitinha proved to be a bright spark on the night, while current top goalscorer Mehdi Taremi was also spotted on the field trying to break through Lyon’s defence. Only time will tell whether the Old Trafford side pursue either of these players in the near future.
Porto will be wary of other European clubs circling them for more stars, having recently lost Luis Diaz to Liverpool in the January transfer window. They will hope that players like Vitinha and Taremi stick around for a few more years and do not leave in the summer.
United, meanwhile, could well have been scouting for a defender, midfielder, and forward at the Europa League game as all these positions stand to be bolstered at the end of the season. While our midfield has long been a weak link, our attack and defence have been largely unimpressive this term, as we drop countless precious points in the Premier League by succumbing to frustrating draws and the odd-defeats.
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Although the Manchester club sent scouts to watch Porto players in action, it is perhaps Lyon’s Moussa Dembele who would have caught their eye in the game as they have identified the player as a potential attacking option in the summer. It is said that they have been monitoring the forward, who provided the assist for Paqueta’s goal.
With a new permanent manager expected ahead of the new season, United fans will have their eyes peeled for any news on exciting transfer targets that the club is pursuing in the summer. Whether one of them comes from Porto remains to be seen.
