English Premier League giants Liverpool are reportedly looking to sign FC Porto midfielder Joao Moutinho, who has also attracted the attention of Chelsea.
The Selecao International has been first-choice for club and country for several years now and has seemingly garnered the attention of Europe’s elite.
Currently playing at FC Porto, the 25-year-old has been a pivotal part of Vitor Pereira’s plans this term and led the Portistas to an unprecedented quadruple in the 2010/2011 campaign.
His consistent performances in the centre of the park have alerted potential suitors to his undoubted talents and it is reported that Chelsea and Liverpool are keeping tabs on his progress.
Kenny Dalglish’s men have been rejuvenated with the return of Steven Gerrard but the mercurial skipper has a notorious history of getting repeatedly injured. While the Reds have the likes of Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson in their ranks, the Scot is keen to bolster his squad even further.
Joao Moutinho’s consistency could come in handy for the Merseysiders but they face competition from their London rivals in the race to sign him. Chelsea have recently suffered due to their ageing team and Andre Villas-Boas is eager to replace Frank Lampard with his former protégé.
The Blues also have Raul Meireles plying his trade at Stamford Bridge and his presence could sway the transfer in favour of the Londoners. However convincing FC Porto to part ways with their star asset will be a tough task, as the club rely on him to create scoring chances for the strikers.
Moutinho is valued at a whopping €40 million by the Dragons, a hefty sum no doubt, but not much of a problem for Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.
The Russian oligarch has previously splashed the cash for many players and given that this time; his club are actually in need of new recruits, he will definitely give the go-ahead on the transfer.
As a move looks likely to go through this winter, both Liverpool and Chelsea will battle it out to secure the services of the Portuguese International, who has shown his talents consistently at the highest level for the past few seasons.
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