Scouts Book Portugal Trip to See Manchester United Target William Carvalho
Scouts from as many as five top-flight clubs across Europe were understood to have visited Portugal on Saturday to cast a close look at highly rated Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho.
Carvalho, 22, was in impressive form in Sporting Lisbon’s away game against relegation-strugglers Belenenses, with the visitors grabbing a gritty 1-0 win, as automatic Champions League qualification in second place of the Portuguese Primeira Liga is all but secured.
Such a form, consistent in his 27 league appearances for the club so far, is what Manchester United are keen to bring to Old Trafford. And while the 20-time English Champions are thought to be firm favourites to land Carvalho in the summer, such a deal is not yet set in stone.
Enter the clubs angling for a move on Carvalho – according to Portuguese daily O Jogo, Scouts from Serie A heavyweights Inter Milan and Juventus were seen inside the Estadio do Restelo to keep tabs on the young midfielder.
Representatives from big-money clubs like Manchester City, Monaco and Real Madrid were also understood to be in attendance.
With this, the race for the signature of Carvalho became all the more fiery, with his current club unlikely to yield under the pressure. As to how this six-way transfer sage ends, however, remains to be seen.
Carvalho has a long-term contract with Sporting Lisbon that is set to run until the summer of 2018.