Liverpool should break the bank for 24-y/o defensive midfield monster taking Euros by storm – opinion

Portugal could very well be one of the dark horses of the 2024 European Championship.

One may hope that Diogo Jota will play a large part in any success Roberto Martinez’s men experience in the tournament. However, Vitinha will also more than likely be integral to how far the nation progresses.

The 24-year-old holding midfielder secured the Player of the Match award following Portugal’s 2-1 comeback win over Czech Republic in the group stage.

UEFA Player of the Match for Portugal vs Czech Republic: Vitinha. pic.twitter.com/Ys4uXw5i1X

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 18, 2024

A far from surprising early accomplishment given the numbers the PSG star put down in Portugal’s opening clash in Germany (courtesy of @StatmanDave on X).

Vitinha' game by numbers vs. Czech Republic:

112 touches (most)
100% duels won (6/6)
100% tackles won
100% dribbles completed
95% pass accuracy
89/91 passes completed
2 key passes

Going to be one of the best DMs at Euro 2024. pic.twitter.com/lwvBYdfRS0

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) June 18, 2024

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Liverpool were understood to hold some interest in the footballer who previously played with Luis Diaz at FC Porto.

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Liverpool would have to fork out a big fee for Vitinha

It’s one thing trying to sign an impressive European talent from PSG – and quite another trying to sign such a player after the Ligue 1 outfit has become financially unburdened by the departure of Kylian Mbappe.

Expect the French champions to potentially triple the £34m they initially paid Porto for Vitinha’s signature back in 2022.

Potentially even more so if the Portuguese international can replicate his performance against Czech Republic over the course of the Euros.

Vitinha is a statistical monster

Let’s not be modest. The 24-year-old is some talent.

As far as FBref is concerned, the former Primeira Liga player is one of the most exciting midfield talents in world football at this moment.

He’s incredibly reliable with the ball (ranking in the 93rd percentile for pass completion) and can be trusted to progress play as a ball carrier (88th percentile for successful take-ons).

Add on top of that the fact he’s a deadly ball-winner in the middle of the park, snuffing out danger whenever it arises, and you’ve got quite the holding midfield package in Vitinha.

Unfortunately for Liverpool, we reckon he’ll be completely out of our price-range.

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