Arsenal have entered the race with Liverpool to sign Porto midfielder Victor Froholdt, according to reports. The 20-year-old joined the Portuguese club in a €20 million (£17.4m) deal from FC Copenhagen last summer.
Froholdt's Impressive Season
Froholdt has quickly established himself as a key player in the Porto side that won the Portuguese league title last weekend. He has scored eight goals and registered seven assists across all competitions this season. His performances have attracted attention from top clubs across Europe.
Interest from Liverpool and Newcastle
According to Danish outlet Bold, Liverpool and Newcastle United are both showing ‘great interest’ in signing Froholdt this summer. Meanwhile, The Times reports that Arsenal have been monitoring Froholdt’s performances for Porto this season but have been told by the Portuguese club that a transfer fee in excess of £52m would be needed to sign the box-to-box midfielder.
Porto's Strong Negotiating Position
Porto are in a strong negotiating position as Froholdt still has four years remaining on his contract, which also includes a £73m release clause. However, the newly crowned Portuguese champions are needing to complete at least one major sale in the summer transfer window in order to balance their books.
Villas-Boas on Froholdt's Transfer
Speaking earlier this season, Porto president Andre Villas-Boas admitted his side had ‘difficult’ negotiations with FC Copenhagen over a deal for Froholdt last year as the Danish club ‘knew they had a diamond in their hands’. He said: ‘Our scouting team discovered him in time, before the big clubs signed him. We spoke with Victor, the agent, and the family in Copenhagen, so we were close to him from the start to convince him to transfer to Porto. Fortunately, we reached an agreement, Victor transferred, and we are very happy to have him here. It was a difficult deal because Copenhagen knew they had a diamond in their hands. We were in long negotiations with the club and there were also other interested parties who tried to sign Victor. The combination of us being the first to make contact and the conversations with the family to convince him of Porto’s project were important in his decision-making process.’
