30 August 2007, by Paulo Carvalho

Roma sign Portugal U21 star Antunes on season-long loan

Pacos de Ferreira left-back gets his lucrative move abroad

The Portuguese Bwin Liga has lost another of its promising players, at least for the upcoming season, as Pacos de Ferreira have loaned out Antunes to Italian club Roma.

The move comes as no surprise as the gifted left-back has been hotly pursued all summer by clubs such as Juventus, Inter Milan and Aston Villa, to name a few.

The Portuguese U21 international flew out to Rome yesterday to undergo a medical and should start training with his new team-mates shortly.

The deal sees Roma pay Pacos a substantial loan fee, with the Serie A side having an option to make the deal permanent for 1.5m euros at the end of the loan spell.

Antunes adds to the list of up-and-coming Portuguese players to have made moves abroad this summer.

Nani, Manuel Fernandes and Pele all booked their tickets out of Portugal, underlining the fact that Portugal continues to produce some of the world’s best footballing talent.


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