Despite all the previous initial excitement, it seems Porto still aren’t close to finding a deal with Newcastle United for the transfer of Chancel Mbemba.
On Thursday, newspaper A Bola comes up with a story which says the Portuguese side are actually looking for alternatives for the defender already.
According to the outlet, manager Sérgio Conceição has asked for the signing of Braga player Raul Silva, while the Dragons are not ready to meet Newcastle’s demands for Mbemba.
A Bola writes that the Magpies continue to demand €9m for the player, but Porto are reluctant to offer more than €7m, which makes the agreement impossible for now.
Earler this month, the Portuguese press revealed that Mbemba has already signed a pre-contract with Porto, and is only waiting for the clubs to find an agreement for his transfer.
But it seems that the clubs can’t find a deal for this €2m difference, and meanwhile, the player will keep waiting for the Magpies to decide his future.
The €2m figure doesn’t seem a lot but if Newcastle are determined to be tough and believe they can get €9m from elsewhere then it’s the right way to go.
