Reports: Juve Could Link Ronaldo With 'Next Ronaldo'
22 April, 2020
Italian giants Juventus could reportedly link superstar Cristiano Ronaldo with a new player who has been dubbed "the next Ronaldo", while Jose Mourinho is also said to be interested in the €120 million-rated wonderkid.
The Serie A leaders, who are understood to be trying to build a team that can win the UEFA Champions League, are keeping close track of FC Porto starlet Fabio Silva, according to Calciomercato.
The 17-year-old is yet another Portuguese youngster who has been compared with the country's top goalscorer. Similar to Joao Felix, who joined Atletico Madrid for €125 million (R2.6 billion) prior to the 2019/20 campaign, Silva has been dubbed by some to be "another Ronaldo".
"When Ronaldo was 17, he played as a centre-forward for Sporting's youth teams. I saw him doing things that I'm now seeing a boy from Porto do, Fabio Silva," Sporting legend Manuel Fernandes told SIC Noticias prior to the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
"He will be considered a hell of a player. Very quickly, he will be a fantastic striker."
Silva joined up with Porto's first team this season, and has scored three goals in 21 appearances so far. He signed a new contract in November, along with his deal reportedly including a €120 million (R2.5 billion) release clause.
While Juventus and Mourinho's Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly keeping an eye on the youngster, it is unlikely either of them can pay his massive release clause following the football market was hit by the coronavirus.
If Porto opt to profit from Silva, a fee around half of his release clause appears more likely, and may tempt Juve to link the youngster with their lethal Portuguese forward.
Source: www.soccerladuma.co.za