Tick tock, Conceicao, Juve is now or never: Mendes accelerates, agreement is one step away
The end of the Portuguese defender's future soap opera is near. The Bianconeri's position on Comolli and Tudor, and the status of the wingers, from Nico to Mbangula, are also in sight.
These are the days of Chico II . Francisco Conceiçao finished last season wearing the Juventus jersey, in the unprecedented and unusual American Club World Cup, and is confident of starting next season in black and white, next Thursday at Continassa . The club is working to make the boy's hopes a reality. And those of Tudor . And of the directors themselves. Negotiations with Porto , which have been underway for weeks now, are nearing their final stages: the final details remain to be ironed out, starting with the new meeting between the parties scheduled for today, right around the time the release clause will increase from €30 million to €45 million. The release clause, in reality, currently represents the guiding light to consider – more than anything else – when evaluating the boy. Yesterday, today, or tomorrow, in fact, Juventus has no intention of activating the clause. Because they are confident of closing the deal while saving a few million. And above all, because he currently has no way to pay the sum in one lump sum. Negotiations between the two clubs have developed around these two points in recent days , negotiations that have accelerated significantly since agent Jorge Mendes entered the fray, using all his persuasive skills. So much so that now the feeling is that only the final step is missing: the Bianconeri's final push.
Thus, the price would rise from the €22 million of the last offer to the couple more requested by the Dragoes, who have since scaled back their demands, thus facilitating a solution to the early summer conundrum. This would be in time to prevent Chico from having to report to Porto for training camp, a scenario that would create some embarrassment in Portugal, where both son and father, twelve months ago, slammed the door. The price, in short, is somewhere between €24 and €25 million. Final developments are expected in the next few hours, especially after the Portuguese club made the official announcement yesterday of the acquisition of Borja Sainz. An attacking winger, indeed. This new, old, addition would thus allow Tudor to begin the season with a few more certainties and a few fewer unknowns. Because the Croatian coach already knows Conceiçao's strengths and weaknesses . And, in a very real sense, he really likes a player with his characteristics, so much so that he put considerable pressure on director Comolli to keep Chico in the squad. And to think that, under his management, the Portuguese had spent long games on the bench, interspersed only with occasional snippets of matches. The daily work and dedication of the son of a footballing genius in training, however, have prompted the coach to make a clear U-turn, as evidenced by the recent Club World Cup.
Even though, on paper alone, an attacking winger like the 22-year-old from Coimbra struggles to adapt to the recently confirmed manager's 3-4-2-1 formation, which has been dogmatic until now. " But in my opinion, he can easily play more centrally, because he's quick, intelligent, and can dribble there too. Sure, the job is a little more difficult than on the flank, but he's a very interesting player. And I also like his mentality: he's a tough guy ," Tudor said during the final rush of the season, words that already hinted at something ahead of the summer. A summer that, barring any final twists, will bring Conceiçao back to him. This is through a move that doesn't rule out other arrivals in the department, starting with Sancho , with whom talks are still ongoing. Also because Mbangula is expected to leave for the Bundesliga, and he could say goodbye to Nico Gonzalez , who has so far been approached "only" by the Saudi Pro League. The scenarios, in any case, are evolving almost daily. And today will be a crucial day. On the Chico front and on that of the other Juventus player waiting for... redemption. PSG, after last night's World Cup final, is back in Europe: talks to confirm Kolo Muani are about to get underway.
These are the days of Chico II . Francisco Conceiçao finished last season wearing the Juventus jersey, in the unprecedented and unusual American Club World Cup, and is confident of starting next season in black and white, next Thursday at Continassa . The club is working to make the boy's hopes a reality. And those of Tudor . And of the directors themselves. Negotiations with Porto , which have been underway for weeks now, are nearing their final stages: the final details remain to be ironed out, starting with the new meeting between the parties scheduled for today, right around the time the release clause will increase from €30 million to €45 million. The release clause, in reality, currently represents the guiding light to consider – more than anything else – when evaluating the boy. Yesterday, today, or tomorrow, in fact, Juventus has no intention of activating the clause. Because they are confident of closing the deal while saving a few million. And above all, because he currently has no way to pay the sum in one lump sum. Negotiations between the two clubs have developed around these two points in recent days , negotiations that have accelerated significantly since agent Jorge Mendes entered the fray, using all his persuasive skills. So much so that now the feeling is that only the final step is missing: the Bianconeri's final push.
Thus, the price would rise from the €22 million of the last offer to the couple more requested by the Dragoes, who have since scaled back their demands, thus facilitating a solution to the early summer conundrum. This would be in time to prevent Chico from having to report to Porto for training camp, a scenario that would create some embarrassment in Portugal, where both son and father, twelve months ago, slammed the door. The price, in short, is somewhere between €24 and €25 million. Final developments are expected in the next few hours, especially after the Portuguese club made the official announcement yesterday of the acquisition of Borja Sainz. An attacking winger, indeed. This new, old, addition would thus allow Tudor to begin the season with a few more certainties and a few fewer unknowns. Because the Croatian coach already knows Conceiçao's strengths and weaknesses . And, in a very real sense, he really likes a player with his characteristics, so much so that he put considerable pressure on director Comolli to keep Chico in the squad. And to think that, under his management, the Portuguese had spent long games on the bench, interspersed only with occasional snippets of matches. The daily work and dedication of the son of a footballing genius in training, however, have prompted the coach to make a clear U-turn, as evidenced by the recent Club World Cup.
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