FC Porto are being strangely calm over the Yacine Brahimi situation.
The 28 year old winger has a contract expiring at the end of the season and that means the Dragons aren’t so far away from losing a key player for nothing. For a top Portuguese club that’s a rarity, given how they pride themselves on extracting big transfer fees.
Record have a look at the situation on Friday and they state West Ham put a €30m offer ‘on the table’ in the summer. Rather than snatching it out of the Hammers’ hands, Porto left the decision to the player and he decided to stay.
At that point a renewal will have been hoped for, but now a free transfer is looking likelier. Record even state Porto aren’t considering a January sale, which seems nonsensical.
When the player was signed from Granada in 2014, the deal was part funded by football investment firm Doyen, on the understanding they’d get a big percentage of his next transfer fee. They protected themselves against a free exit by putting a clause in the deal meaning Porto must pay €6.5m if Brahimi leaves for free.
Lazio are said to be interested, on a free, and several English clubs, including West Ham, have also been linked with regards to taking the player next summer.
Despite the stance Porto are taking publicly, their determination to keep the player will surely be tested if a reasonable offer arrives in January.
