Alvaro Pereira offered to Chelsea in cut price £15m transfer

The Blues are long-term admirers of the 26-year-old, and spent most of last summer trying to secure a transfer, only to be put off by Porto's £30 million valuation.

 Chelsea have since continued scouting the Uruguayan wing-back, and have now been told he is available for sale on the back of a mixed season at the Estadio do Dragao.

 Porto are ready to cash in and have told Chelsea they would accept an offer the region of £15 million. That cash would then be put towards new signings in a bid to tempt star names Hulk and Joao Moutinho into staying at the club.

 The decision to sell the outspoken defender comes as his agent admits he is considering his future at Porto, and may well seek a transfer before the window closes at the end of the month.

 'We think everything will go well and that he can leave the club, but right now we do not have any concrete offer,' agent Flavio Perchmen revealed. 'I spoke with Alvaro last week and he is calm. We are just waiting for an offer.'

 Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo is currently assessing his full-back options, with a deal close for Marseille star Cesar Azpilicueta, while contact talks with Ashley Cole and Ryan Bertrand have slowed in recent weeks.

 A fast, powerful and versatile player, Pereira can play in both full-back positions, but also on the left wing, where he is seen as an alternative to Wigan's Victor Moses. Chelsea are set to make a decision on whether to pursue the deal in the next few days.

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Man United Ready to Meet £25m Asking Price for Talented Portuguese International Midfielder

Man United are lining up a £25m bid for FC Porto midfielder Joao Moutinho according to Portuguese sources  as Sir Alex Ferguson looks to bring in further signings to boost his Old Trafford squad.

 The talented Portuguese international may well be just the type of player the Scot is looking for to improve his somewhat rigid midfield and apparently Ferguson is willing to meet Porto’s asking price for the 25 year old.

 Having spent his formative years at Sporting Lisbon Moutinho left for arch rivals FC Porto in the summer of 2010, a move that was deemed fairly controversial and led to a great deal of anger from his former club and their supporters.

 Joao Moutinho has been a great success at the Estádio do Dragao, becoming a force in Andre Villas-Boas’s all conquering side of 2010/11 where he helped FC Porto to a domestic double and a Europa League triumph.

 The box to box midfielder then helped his side to retain their Primeira Liga title last term and then followed that success with a series of quality displays to help Portugal to the Euro 2012 semi-finals.

 Sir Alex Ferguson has been linked with a number of potential midfield additions, most notable among them being Man United’s pursuit of Brazilian Lucas Moura, but it appears that the Old Trafford boss is ready to once again look to bring in a player from the Portuguese top tier, where he has looked to sign players on many occasions previously.

 A move for extra midfield options could well be necessary given that Paul Scholes is clearly nearing the end of his Man United career and Anderson has failed to impress for the best part of two years.

 Michael Carrick, though effective last term, is also perhaps not as incisive a player as Ferguson is looking for to help add drive and purpose to his first team line-up.

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Manchester City Enter Race For £35m Chelsea Target Hulk

Manchester City are preparing to challenge Chelsea for the signature of Brazilian striker Hulk, it has emerged.

 The west London club have been tracking the Porto forward for some time but are yet to agree a deal for the 26-year-old, with City now ready to pounce.

 The Premier League Champions want to sign Arsenal’s Robin van Persie but boss Roberto Mancini is growing increasingly concerned that the Dutchman favours either a move to either Juventus or Manchester United.

 Mancini has told the club’s hierarchy that if they miss out on van Persie, he wants Hulk to lead the line next season.

 It is understood that Porto will demand in excess of £40 million for the forward, who has a buy-out clause believed to be in the region of £80 million.

 Hulk is currently in the UK with the Brazilian Olympic squad and any deal is unlikely to be completed until the conclusion of the Games.

 Mancini is determined to land a new striker this summer after becoming concerned about the efficiency of Edin Dzeko, Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli.

 Hulk has scored 52 goals in 96 appearances for Porto in the Primiera Liga.

 City, meanwhile, must ship out Tottenham target Emmanuel Adebayor before they can bring in a new face but are struggling to shift the Togo forward, who is demanding a £4 million pay-off to leave Eastlands.

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Fergie makes Moutinho move

The club are understood to have approached Porto with a view to signing their attacking midfielder.

 United are now preparing a £25million bid after getting fed up with Spurs’ demands for Luka Modric.

 we revealed last month that Modric was boss Alex Ferguson’s No 1 target and United were ready to bid £25m rising to £30m.

 But Spurs have now quoted £40m for the Croatian and United will not pay that.

 Moutinho, 25, would follow Ronaldo and Nani on the successful track from Portugal to Old Trafford. Spurs and Chelsea are also interested in the player, who this week praised Andre Villas-Boas.

 AVB is set to take over at White Hart Lane and was Moutinho’s old boss at Porto. But, despite that, Moutinho still prefers the move to United.

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Napoli to take on Chelsea for Porto star

Chelsea will face competition from Serie A side Napoli to secure the services of Porto full-back Alvaro Pereira. 

Pereira, 26, was expected to follow former Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas from Porto to Stamford Bridge last summer, but that move failed to materialise. 

And despite penning a new long-term deal with the Portuguese club at the close of the last transfer window, Pereira has already indicated his willingness to entertain any offers that come his way this summer. 

With the departure of Jose Bosingwa, Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo is expected to be on the hunt for a new right-back, and Pereira is still believed to be on the club's shortlist, despite the exit of Villa-Boas. 

However, Italian publication Tuttosport claim Napoli have already sounded out the player's agent over a £12.8 move for the full-back.

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Hulk tells PSG: I want to join Chelsea

Porto striker Hulk says he does not want to move to PSG - as he holds out for a move to Chelsea.

 The 25-year-old looked set for a £38m move to Stamford Bridge recently but the potential deal has been held up as the two clubs continue to discuss terms over the fee.

 Hulk is eager to join Chelsea and has spoken of his intention to play in west London - but PSG are in the running too.

 The Ligue 1 club, banked by ambitious Qatari owners, want to sign Hulk but he says he doesn't want to move to Paris, with Chelsea his favoured destination.

 Hulk told reporters "Chelsea are the champions of Europe and any player would like to go there.

 "I would like to go there more than any other club. But I have to remember that I have a contract at Porto and I am very happy here too.

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My future is in Porto's hands, says Chelsea target Hulk

The Brazil international has been linked with a move for Stamford Bridge ever since Andre Villas-Boas moved to Chelsea from the Estadio do Dragao last summer, and reports have built up pace since the end of the Premier League campaign.

 Reports of a £38 million bid submitted by the Stamford Bridge has been speculated widely, but, as far, no move as materialised and Hulk has revealed that he is happy to stay at Porto.

 "I leave everything in the hands of Porto,” Hulk told O Jogo.

 “I am under contract and I have been happy at Porto for four years, where I have achieved everything.

 "I'll have the club in my heart no matter what happens this summer or in any other summer.

 Chelsea have already delved significantly into the transfer market following the impending arrivals of Eden Hazard, Marko Marin and Kevin De Bruyne.

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Portugal's 'new Deco' tempting Chelsesa

Euro 2012 hopefuls Portugal aren't short of attacking talent, and alongside the likes of Ronaldo and Nani, the Iberians can count on the abilities of highly-rated midfielder Joao Moutinho.

 With the versatile Porto man recently letting Chelsea know he's available, our transfer spotlight has everything you need to know about the Blues target...

 Name: Joao Filipe Iria Santos Moutinho Date of birth: September 8, 1986 Birthplace: Portimao, Portugal Position: Midfielder Club: Porto International appearances: 45 Honours: UEFA Europa League winner (2010-11), Portuguese Primeira Liga (2010-11, 2011-12).

What's the latest? Former Chelsea coach Andre Villas-Boas was intent on brining Moutinho to Stamford Bridge, but after the Portuguese got the boot it looked like the Porto man's dream was over.

 Chelsea's interest was rekindled recently, however, when Moutinho announced he'd love a shot at the Premier League, letting the Blues know he's still around.

 Moutinho made more passes than any other Portugal player in their win over Denmark, and his stock is rising, so Chelsea should act fast if they want to pay less.

 Did you know? 1) Moutinho originally started out at home-town team Portimonense SC in the Algarve, but when the opportunity to move to Sporting Lisbon arose, his football-loving parents didn't think twice about relocating with the 13-year-old.

 2) Moutinho's time at the Sporting academy coincided with fellow graduates Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo. Other big names to learn their trade at Sporting include Simao, Ricardo Quaresma and Luis Figo.

 3) Moutinho followed in Ronaldo's footsteps by making his Sporting first-team debut at a young age, appearing as a 17-year-old in the 2004-05 pre-season. In 2005 he inherited Ronaldo's number 28 jersey.

 4) Moutinho is known for his versatility, and can play in a number of positions including defensive midfield, attacking midfield or on either flank.

 5) In 2008 Moutinho nearly made a move to Everton, but when the deal fell through he eventually transferred to Sporting's rivals Porto. Since then, he has been heavily criticised by his former club.

 He says “Every player wants to experiment with different leagues.


 Right now I'm happy because I'm playing in one of the biggest in Europe, but if a good opportunity arose we'd have to see.


 The Premier League? I can only say it's one of the best leagues in the world, but I haven't spoken with any club.”

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