Porto midfielder Otavio to renew contract

Brazilian midfielder Otavio is set to sign a new deal with Porto, with his ongoing deal set to expire at the end of the campaign. Leicester City and AC Milan were linked with the player’s services, and both were hoping to sign the player as a free agent once his contract ran down at Porto. However, that will no longer be a possibility now. The news has been provided by Fabrizio Romano, through his Twitter account. 

The 26-year-old has been involved in 13 goals across 31 appearances in all competitions. He joined the Portuguese club in 2014, for a transfer fee worth €2.5 million from his home country, formerly playing for Internacional and coming through their academy. 

Should either Milan or Leicester have managed to negotiate the free signing of the player, they would have had a great deal on their hands. This is because the player’s current contract has a release clause worth €60 million, which is a very difficult valuation to match in the current financial climate. 

Otavio plays primarily as a central attacking midfielder, and can drop a little deeper or drift wide as and when needed. 

Porto’s next major clash comes up against Chelsea in the quarter finals of the Champions League after they defeated Juventus on away goals. The Brazilian will have to come up with his best against a Chelsea side that have only conceded a single goal to opposition since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel at the club.