FC Porto’s president Pinto da Costa has insisted ‘the only way’ they will sell Vitinha this summer is if his release clause is triggered.
The former Wolves loanee enjoyed a real breakout season in 2021/22.
After Wolves declined the chance to sign him, Vitinha headed back to his parent club on a mission.
He quickly broke into the starting XI, and soon established himself as one of the most important players in the team.
Vitinha ended up making 47 appearances in total, and won three Player of the Month awards.
He was one of the best players in the division and, as a result, Vitinha’s stock is now very high.
It is thought that Manchester United have interest in the 22-year-old, as well as Arsenal. Ironically, both of those clubs have also been linked with Wolves star Ruben Neves in recent times.
Pinto da Costa has been speaking about the potential for Vitinha to leave Porto this summer.
He told Record (quoted by Fabrizio Romano): “We’ve received a concrete proposal for Vitinha, yes – it was a good bid but we did not accept.
“So we mentioned again the release clause, which is the only way to sign Vitinha.”
It has been suggested that Vitinha’s release clause is £34 million (via Record).
That means he stands to leave the club for double the fee Wolves could have landed him for at the end of the 2020/21 season.
Vitinha’s exciting development reflected in £34 million valuation
So Porto have already received a proposal for Vitinha, which they have rejected.
They clearly do not want to lose him, and so it will be interesting to see if anyone comes in an triggers that release clause.
It will certainly have many people asking questions about why Wolves did not sign Vitinha for half the price when the opportunity was there.
Ultimately, it was because Wolves officials weren’t quite convinced by his performances in an old gold shirt.
It is a huge shame Wolves didn’t feel convinced to sign him. He now looks like he’s going to develop into a top-class player, and he might well have been an ideal long-term replacement for Joao Moutinho.