Luisao set for Portsmouth switch

Premiership club to swoop for Brazil centre-back

Portsmouth have intensified their interest in Benfica central defender Luisao.

The towering Brazilian has made headlines over the last few months about where he will end up playing next year. Clubs such as Marseille, Inter and Juventus have been linked with the player in the past, but it seems that the English south coast club have shown the most interest.

Pompey’s director of communication, Gary Double, has confessed that the club are looking for a replacement for the departing Sol Campbell and see Luisao as his natural successor, despite manager Harry Redknapp’s comments earlier this week claiming that he knew nothing of the transfer or even the player.

“Luisao is highly regarded. Sol Campbell is set to leave the club and Luisao is Harry Redknapp’s preferred choice,” admitted Double to The Daily Express. “We have already spoken with Benfica and they priced him at 12 million pounds (15 million euros) as a base to start negotiations.”

The beanpole defender, who arrived in 2003, admitted he is looking for new challenges and Portsmouth may be his ticket out of Portugal.

The news will not exactly be met with dismay by the Benfica faithful as Luisao has endured a tumultuous injury-hit season with the club’s supporters. The Brazilian has often been a target of the fans’ frustration as the team endured a miserable trophy-less campaign.


Related: Luisao PortuGOAL profile
Related: Benfica brass fly out to Manchester for Eriksson