Arsenal and Manchester United are reportedly set to face defeat in pursuit of FC Porto starlet Vitinha, who will soon join PSG.
According to a report by 90 min, Paris Saint-Germain are set to hand a massive blow to Arsenal and Manchester United in their hopes to sign Vitinha this summer. The Parisian juggernaut are set to trigger the midfielder’s €40 million release clause in the coming days.
Vitinha is expected to sign a five-year deal at Parc des Princes. If everything goes well, he is set to become the first signing under the leadership of new sporting director Luis Campos, who wants to bring a sense of identity into the PSG camp after his appointment earlier this month.
A central midfielder by trade, Vitinha has enjoyed tremendous success since returning from his disastrous loan spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers last summer. During the 2021/22 campaign, he was an ever-present figure in Porto’s midfield setup, racking up almost 50 competitive appearances.
The 22-year-old’s energy and guile have caught the eye of many scouts across Europe. Vitinha has even managed to break into the Portuguese national team, having already featured thrice for A Selecao since making his debut in late March.
In light of his rapid rise to prominence, Manchester United had attempted to sign the Portuguese international in the summer. They were even the favourites to sign the youngster earlier this month, with Erik ten Hag potentially targeting him as the direct replacement for Paul Pogba.
After struggling to earn the trust of fans during his second spell at Old Trafford, Pogba has opted to run out his contract and is currently a free agent. Manchester United were also dealt with the exit of Nemanja Matic, who has been reunited with Jose Mourinho by joining AS Roma.
Vitinha, to that end, might have been an excellent coup for Manchester United. The 22-year-old would have added the energy and creativity in midfield while significantly improving the club’s transition play.
Another club that were closely linked with a move for Vitinha were Arsenal. With Mikel Arteta desperate to add competition for Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka, Vitinha was identified as an ideal man to improve the overall depth of the team next season.
Fortunately for Arsenal, they have managed to secure the services of Vitinha’s midfield partner at FC Porto, Fabio Vieira. So a move for the ex-Wolves starlet was always out of the question, even without the involvement of PSG, who are now in pole position to secure the €40 million deal for the 22-year-old.
