Russian club Zenit St. Petersburg are reportedly ready to make a huge offer to PAOK Thessalonikis for their star player, Portuguese midfielder Vierinha. The former Portugal under-21 international Vieirinha will join Russian champions Zenit in a €6m move, according to reports.
Zenit are thought to have reached an agreement with Vieirinha’s current club, Greek outfit PAOK, and the 24-year-old will sign a four-year contract with Zenit, worth approximately €6m.
The ex-Porto would will link up with Portuguese colleagues Fernando Meira, Bruno Alves and Danny at the Petrovsky Stadium. Vieirinha has been linked with a host of clubs across Europe since catching the eye for PAOK last season, after which he was named the club’s Player of the Year. Fellow Russian club CSKA Moscow were also keen on securing the player’s signature, but Vieirinha is believed to have opted for Zenit due to the better exposure gained from playing for a club already followed closely by Portugal boss Paulo Bento.
FC Porto will earn just under €2m from the deal, having stipulated a 33 per cent future fee clause when selling Vieirinha to PAOK in June 2009 following a successful loan period in Thessaloniki. Meanwhile, Panathinaikos are believed to be tracking Stephen Ireland and could try to pounce for the former Ireland star at the end of the season. Ireland is currently on loan from Aston Villa at Newcastle United and Magpies’ boss Alan Pardew is keen to complete a permanent move for the midfielder. However, he may face opposition from Panathinaikos.
The Athens-based club look set to lose their league title to bitter rivals Olympiacos this season and that will spark a need to add fresh faces at the Olympic Stadium. It remains to be seen whether Ireland can be tempted to quit English football and head to Greece.
