ContinueManchester United and Tottenham Hotspur target Joao Moutinho has hinted that he remains open to a move to the Premier League.
The Porto midfielder has been linked with a move to both clubs following an excellent Euro 2012 campaign for Portugal earlier in the summer. As Spurs have been faced with the increasingly likely prospect of life without Luka Modric, who is finally edging closer to a move to Real Madrid reports today suggest, Moutinho has been identified as a player of sufficient class to help fill the void left by the Croatian.
Andre Villas-Boas managed Moutinho during his reign as Porto boss, but Sir Alex Ferguson and the Manchester United hierarchy are also reported keen admirers. Speaking to Portuguese publication Record, the 25-year-old reiterated that he looks forward to winning more titles at Porto, but cryptically refused to rule out a move before the end of the transfer window. "It is clear that by August 31st, anything can happen,” Moutinho told Record.
Both clubs were heavily linked with a move for Moutinho last month, but both have been quiet on the matter recently, as Manchester United shifted focus onto Brazilian ace Lucas Moura and Luka Modric’s proposed move to the Bernabeu has stalled.
Now that Manchester United’s efforts to sign Moura have failed, the club may reignite their interest in the metronomic midfielder Moutinho. United’s lack of cover in midfield has been well documented, and Sir Alex Ferguson’s recent admission that he may have to deploy Michael Carrick in central defence may reinforce the 70-year-old manager’s necessity to add to his midfield numbers.
