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Liverpool are in advanced talks to sign Porto midfielder Otávio.
They are in the market for a direct replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum who left the club at the end of last season on the expiry of his contract, and has since joined PSG on a free transfer.
Time is of the essence to get a deal dome, because the player’s release clause is about to increase from €40m to €60 m, and Liverpool do not want to pay a penny more than they have to, because they have already spent £36 m to buy defender Ibrahima Konaté from RB Leipzig.
Born in Brazil, the 26-year old joined Porto in 2014, and has since gone on to make 128 appearances for them , scoring 11 times.
Earlier this year he became a Portuguese citizen, which should make obtaining a work permit for him a relative formality.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.