Porto have announced the departure of Portuguese starlet Fabio Vieira to Arsenal.
The club released a statement this morning, confirming that the 22-year-old is on his way to the Emirates. The Portuguese side confirmed the finances of the deal in a club statement:
“Deal complete for amount of €40m, and of these, €5m are dependent on achievement of sports objectives”.
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That equates to £34 million, including the achievement dependent clauses, a fee far less that the reported €50 million release clause that Vieira has.
Arsenal technical director Edu has been subjected to intense scrutiny in his time at the club, but credit must be given where it is due. The Brazilian negotiated a deal without any outlets having knowledge of it until it was near completion, and at a fee substantially lower than the release clause.
Arsenal fans will be excited to see Fabio Vieira grace the hallowed turf of the Emirates. The Portugal u21 captain was in spectacular form for Dragões last season, tallying 23 goal contributions in all competitions, at an average of a g/a every 86 minutes.
Arteta reportedly pushed for the playmaker to join the club, with the Athletic reporting that the Spaniard is a huge admirer of the 22-year-old, and expressed this admiration of the talismanic midfield maestro for several months.
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Reliable journalist Charles Watts has reported that Vieira is at London Colney and scheduled to undergo all standard medical checks in the coming days.
On Arsenal’s end, a deal may not be announced until this weekend, or even early next week. However, the Gunners faithful can be at ease, the club have secured their man.
Topics: Arsenal
Jake Lennard