Portuguese newspapers are today full of stories about the ongoing investigation into Porto’s transfers in recent years. It’s believed that agents made around €20m in commissions which were not declared.
The Public Ministry conducted 33 searches on Monday, with club president Pinto da Costa and his son being two of the main suspects, along with agent Pedro Pinho.
It turns out that among those transfers, at least one is related to the Premier League, according to newspaper Correio da Manhã. That’s Ricardo Pereira and his move to Leicester City in 2018.
The newspaper writes that the sale was declared by Porto as being worth €20m, but there’s a suspicion that the player actually cost the Foxes more than that. The move was negotiated by Pedro Pinho.
This is just one of the many transfers being investigated. Correio da Manhã points out that agents made €64m mediating Porto’s business over only four years, and the club president and his son could be involved.Ricardo Pereira joined Porto in a move from Vitória Guimarães in 2013. He had two years on loan at Nice between 2015 and 2017, and in 2018 he signed for Leicester City.
Only two transfers are named by Correio da Manhã. Pereira’s and Eder Militão’s move to Real Madrid for €50m in 2019.
“In the crosshairs of justice are more than a dozen suspicious businesses that have served to launder money, putting millions of euros into the account of Pinto da Costa’s family,” the newspaper says.
