Arsenal’s transfer of Porto ace Fabio Vieira appears to have been accidentally confirmed by the Premier League, who have added his profile to their website.
The Gunners have been tipped to complete a deal for the 22-year-old but haven’t yet officially announced his arrival.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is desperate to bolster his attack this summer after his side missed out on Champions League qualification on the final day of the last campaign. And at the end of last week, reports emerged that the Gunners had agreed a £34million deal to sign the Portugal under-21s international.
The north London club could well be going through the process of announcing the signing – but the Premier League have clearly decided to get in there first. On their website, the organisation have added Viera and have included his nationality, date of birth, height and position. And they have also confirmed that he represents Arsenal.
Vieira has impressed in his homeland and accumulated 76 first-team appearances for Porto after coming through the club’s academy. He scored 10 goals and laid on 18 assists during his time at the Estadio do Dragao as Porto were crowned league champions in 2020 and 2022. Last season he racked-up six goals and 14 assists in the league and was a key player for the side.
Vieira won 20 caps for the Portugal under-21s and bagged 13 goals. And he was also part of his country’s team that reached the final of last year’s European Under-21 Championship. So Arsenal have could be set to welcome a player with a big future at the top of the game.
Despite Arsenal’s radio silence, Porto have acknowledged Vieira’s impending move as they released a statement on Friday. The club said they had “reached an agreement with Arsenal FC for the assignment, on a definitive basis, of the sports registration rights of professional football player Fabio Vieira. It is further informed that the final agreement is still being finalised and is expected to be implemented in the next few days.”
The club also revealed that the transfer fee would be £34million, of which just over £4m would be dependent on the “achievement of sporting objectives.”
And Vieira said: “Playing in the Premier League won’t be easy and I promise only to work, work, work. My agent worked on the deal between the two clubs and I accepted the deal because it was important for all parties. I have always watched the Premier League on TV.”
(Daily Express news)