SC Braga’s Roger Fernandes is the subject of interest from Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion, Newcastle United, Atlético Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, PSV and Ajax.
That’s according to Wednesday’s edition of O Jogo and comes more than two years after a period which saw the then 16-year-old repeatedly linked with Newcastle United.
Those links with Eddie Howe’s side were quite strong for a while, with claims of potential big offers and an insistence Newcastle United didn’t want to miss out.
Magpies interest clearly goes back some way, and all of Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Tottenham and Brighton are now said to join them from the Premier League.
The ‘fiery talent’ was born in Guinea-Bissau, but he’s spent five years living in Portugal and by January he’ll be eligible for Portuguese youth teams. O Jogo say that according to their information he’s keen on taking that opportunity.
It’s stated that even Roberto Martinez, manager of Portugal’s senior team, has been keeping an eye on the player.
Roger Fernandes has played 16 games already this season, largely thanks to Braga having six matches in UEFA Europa League qualifying. He’s operated mainly on the right wing, scoring two goals and contributing an assist.
Brighton with two proposals to sign same player – Seagulls offered to hike salary
Brighton were linked with a move for Deportivo La Coruna’s David Mella in the summer window.
A potential transfer never went through but the winger has already shown his qualities in La Liga2, scoring twice and assisting twice in eight league appearances so far.
This is his second full season in the Deportivo first-team and the fact that he has been making a mark shows the Seagulls have again done their transfer homework.
La Voz de Galicia report Brighton made two offers to both Mella and Deportivo. They put forward the possibility of increasing his wages by a good margin, but he wasn’t tempted enough.
This isn’t the first time that Mella has turned down the possibility of having his wages increased, with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid knocked back in the past.
The Seagulls’ approach was also rejected by the player, who is now inching towads signing a new deal at Deportivo.
Several meetings have been held in this regard and that looks like a blow to Brighton’s hopes of convincing Mella in one of the next two windows.