Yahoo News Stoke City loan flop in €10m transfer link to Portugal champions
Chiquinho, the blink-and-you'd-miss-him Stoke City signing last summer, is now being linked with a move to leading Portuguese sides Sporting Lisbon and Braga.
The winger, now aged 24, joined Stoke on an intended season-long loan from Wolves on July 22. He made a start in the Championship and Carabao Cup and a couple of cameos before he was sent back on August 31 with questions about his commitment. He moved straight on to Famalicao in Portugal on loan for the rest of the campaign.
He scored five times and set up another two as Famalicao finished eighth and now the Portuguese press is suggesting that form alerted scouts from Sporting and Braga, who finished top and fourth respectively. Maisfutebol claims that Braga have entered talks about a loan with an option to buy "and is also in the sights of Sporting". There are claims that Wolves would ask for 10 million euros for any permanent deal.
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Chiquinho is expected to start pre-season in the Midlands, where is still under contract until 2026, but "Braga manager Daniel Sousa wants to speed up negotiations".
Chiquinho had been on the books of Sporting as a teenager before making his senior breakthrough at Estoril alongside Andre Vidigal. He joins Wolves for an initial fee reported to be £2.9 million in early 2022 and made nine appearances before a serious knee injury ruled him out for the 2022/23 season.
Ricky Martin, then Stoke's technical director, said when he welcomed him to the bet365 Stadium last summer: “He has enjoyed great exposure at Wolves in terms of his introduction to the Premier League and the appearances he has been able to make at the top level.
“He has an infectious enthusiasm for the game and we liked his energy and appetite to learn from the moment he first visited the training ground. We have been pursuing him throughout the summer but had to be patient to finalise the loan agreement."
