In our piece, we pointed out that it wasn’t revealed who the Red Devils had been watching, and even mentioned a few names who may have impressed the emissaries.

It turns out that as newspaper A Bola now has a story about that scouting mission, they claim Manchester United’s target was Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

The outlet writes that the Red Devils keep their old interest in the player, and could make a new move for him in the January transfer window.

It’s said the goalkeeping position is one of the ‘more deficient’ at Manchester United, and Costa is the main candidate for that. THe club are set to make new scouting trips to watch the Portuguese star and move for him either in January or next summer, while Porto demand €75m for his transfer.

Well, it’s always interesting when Portuguese reports reveal who the scouts from English clubs had been watching, but in this case, it’s hard to find any sense in what they claim.

Manchester United have just spent over €50m on signing Andre Onana from Inter Milan, and despite the Cameroonian’s mistakes in his first months, his improvement has been clear, as he made many important saves in the derby against Manchester City, not to mention the penalty save against Copenhagen.

Even if Erik ten Hag was thinking of keeping Onana on the bench for a while, the Red Devils signed Altay Bayındır from Fenerbahce this summer.

So spending €75m on a new goalkeeper would be one of the strangest moves Manchester United could make. It’s well known they watch lots of games in the Portuguese league, and Costa may continue to impress there, but definitely not enough for an investment in the January window.

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According to Portuguese newspapers Record and O Jogo, the two clubs sent scouts to the match between Vizela and FC Porto on Sunday.

Even though Premier League clubs are more used to sending scouts to Benfica, Porto, and Sporting home games, Manchester City and Manchester United decided to watch the Dragons playing away from home this time. That may be a sign they’re very interested in some of their players.

The newspapers do not have any information on potential targets the English sides had their eyes on. Neither of them have been linked to Porto players recently, as despite a few rumours of the Red Devils’ interest in Diogo Costa and Mehdi Taremi, those disappeared since the arrivals of Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund in the summer.

Porto won the match 2-0, and in case Manchester City and Manchester United were waiting to be impressed with specific performances, they may have liked the performance from Eustáquio, who ruled the Dragons’ midfield. Other players such as Jorge Sanchez, João Mário, Alan Varela, Francisco Conceição, Pepê, Evanilson and Taremi did well too.

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That’s according to Jornal de Noticias, who say the Portuguese forward would be more than happy to remain with his former club on a permanent basis.

Guedes spent the second half of last season on loan at Benfica and renewed that deal in the summer, with neither he nor Wolves keen on a reunion after his disappointing year at Molineux following a €32.6m move from Valencia in August 2022.

Guedes is seemingly happy with how things are going and would like to stay where he is long-term, with the newspaper saying he ‘expresses his desire’ to remain.

Benfica are aware of this desire, and it has been noted by those in charge at the Portuguese club, but they will only consider evaluating a deal at the end of the season.

In other words, they see no reason to rock the boat at this moment in time given they have a loan deal secured until the end of the season.

Perhaps they want to wait and see how Guedes performs before potentially committing to a permanent deal with Wolves, who would presumably be looking to recoup as much of their initial outlay as possible.

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That’s according to O Jogo, who cover the player today amid claims that Newcastle have immediately turned their focus to Neves as they plan for life without Tonali.

They say that Neves ‘dreams’ of returning to England and the Premier League after leaving Wolves for Al-Hilal in the summer transfer window.

The fact that they and Newcastle are backed by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund could ‘facilitate a loan’ in January as the Magpies need to source a replacement for Tonali, who will be out until next season after being banned for betting related offences.

Newcastle are already ‘preparing’ for that, and Neves would be an ideal replacement given his experience playing in the Premier League with Wolves.

He’s enjoying himself in Saudi Arabia so far with two goals and four assists in 19 games, but he continues to ‘harbour the hope’ of returning to the Premier League and this could be a ‘golden opportunity’ to do so.

How a potential deal would be structured isn’t mentioned but the move would seemingly be welcomed by Neves either way.

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The reason for that is the Eagles’ poor campaign in the Champions League, which is set to have a big impact on their financial plan for the next year.

Newspaper O Jogo explains that Benfica had been expecting to pick up at least three points in the group stage and try to get to the knock-out stages. However, so far, they’ve managed three defeats in three games, and things don’t look positive for a big recovery.

The millions they won’t make with the qualification are set to be earned with a sale, then, and that’s where the Manchester United target comes in.

O Jogo explains that Benfica don’t want to sell João Neves, as they believe he’ll get a lot more valuable and since Florentino Luís’ price is going down, it’s Antonio Silva who becomes the best option to cash in.

The story doesn’t make it clear how much the Lisbon side would want for the sale, or even if that transfer would be made in January or in the summer, but a sale is very much a possibility.

Either way, it seems like a fine chance for Manchester United.

Their interest in the player was recently the reason for a front page story in Portugal, and it’s also been said that he’s aware the Red Devils should be coming for him.

If it’s as genuine and solid as those claims, and others, have made out, they may be about to be handed a fine opportunity to get their man.

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Some bits of that conversation are already doing the rounds in the local media, and Record now quote the player speaking about Wolves’ match against Manchester City.

Sá was asked about Matheus Nunes, who left Molineux to join Pep Guardiola’s side in the summer. He claimed their friendship continues, with Wolverhampton players cheering for him.

“After the City game, we all had a chat – he even brought us our shirts – and of course he’s happy… And we just have to support him and be happy for him,” José Sá told DAZN.

The goalkeeper also spoke a little more about that important win in late September.

“Very happy too, because we were coming off a draw with Luton, which we also needed to win, because we knew we were going to play City next and, theoretically, we know that the normal thing is to lose – right? It’s not that we were going to lose, but that’s what people expect.

“So we knew we had to win against Luton, but we drew, and then obviously that win against City was incredible, it was really good and I think the guys deserved it too because they worked really well, they’ve been working really well. For me, it was the first time I’d beaten City. Of course I’m happy, right? But all in all, it was a win.”

Wolves beat Man City 2-1 at Molineux on the 30th of September, with Ruben Dias scoring an own goal and Hwang Hee-chan getting the winner.

In nine games for the club this season, José Sá conceded 15 goals, and only kept one clean sheet – in the win against Everton at Goodison Park back in August.

Following last weekend’s win over Bournemouth, Wolves now prepare for the clash against Newcastle United at Molnineux on Saturday. Gary O’Neil’s side currently stand 12th in the Premier League, with 11 points after nine matches.

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It’s been said that the clubs are keen on making a move for the 22-year-old already in the January transfer window.

The race for Geny is now covered by the Portuguese media, with newspapers Record and O Jogo sharing some information that could be of interest to Aston Villa and Fulham.

First of all, they both make it clear that Sporting only get 25% of a potential transfer, as 75% would go to his former club Amora.

That may not directly affect the interested clubs, but is a reason for the Lions not to sell the player for a low price. They’ve also been interested in buying that remaining percentage, and that could delay a potential negotiation for a transfer as well.

Regarding Aston Villa and Fulham, neither Record nor O Jogo could confirm their interest. They actually come up with other contenders, saying Genoa and Udinese are keen on the signing and could compete with the Premier League sides.

Geny is protected by a €60m release clause, giving Sporting some protection. They already tried to buy the remaining 75% with a €1.2m offer, but that was turned down.

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The reason newspaper Correio da Manhã features a story about the player this week is that he’s reverting to being a winger, despite being tested as a fullback in recent games.

After speaking about his positioning, the outlet writes that Gonçalves is being watched by Aston Villa and could use tomorrow’s match against Raków Częstochowa to increase their interest.

The story makes it clear that the winger is very well protected by Sporting with a contract until 2027 and a release clause worth €80m.

That may sound like a lot, but it’s still said that may ‘not be enough’ for the Lions to hold him, given the financial power that English clubs have.

Gonçalves, better known as Pote, had a slower start this season, with just two goals and two assists in eleven appearances. The reports about Aston Villa interest are a little older, and Unai Emery’s side certainly saw his 20 goals and 15 assists for the Lions last season.

Now let’s see if he’ll continue to impress them.

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Martin Diggle, who is the Reds’ director of coaching development, not only attended to hear what Lions president Frederico Varandas had to say, but also gave a speech to those at the event.

It’s no secret that Sporting’s academy is a reference to many European clubs, and the Liverpool chief claimed it’s no different for the Anfield side.

The quotes come from Portuguese newspaper Record.

“It was a privilege to be invited. Sporting is one of the most iconic clubs in youth football on the planet. I came on Sunday and I’m going home on Wednesday, because I didn’t just want to share my ideas,” said Diggle.

“I also wanted to learn about Sporting. There’s a passion for youth football and the development of the player and the human being – their mentality, their values and how they behave. We want to work and collaborate with those who have similar ideas to us. Not the same, but similar.”

Since Sporting can rarely keep their homegrown talents, they often end up moving for big fees. That’s the case of players such as Matheus Nunes, João Mário, Nuno Mendes and João Palhinha. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani have also been through the same process.

Getting those talents by just spending on their training is certainly a dream for any European club, and that’s what Liverpool seem to be trying to learn more about. With the Reds having a tradition of using homegrown players, any extra knowledge to aid their development can only be a positive.

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Leonino write that in the final days of August, the Lions made contact for the transfer of Pablo Sarabia to the Lisbon side.

Sporting wanted to know the conditions demanded by Wolves for a potential deal. However, with the Premier League club not interested in a negotiation, their ‘unwillingness’ to negotiate stopped the move from happening.

The Spaniard had already played for the Lions back in the 2021/22 season, when on loan from Paris Saint Germain, and left a good impression at the club, with 21 goals and ten assists in 45 appearances.

It was in January 2023 that he was signed by Wolves following a €5m deal with the French club.

Now it seems Molineux side stood firm to keep him this summer, but he’s not really their first option on the wings so far. Sarabia has seven appearances this season, and stayed on the bench without being brought on for four consecutive matches.

It does make sense that Wolves want to have depth in their squad, though, and that’s probably why they didn’t accept letting him go. The winger is tied to a contract until 2025.

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