'Early stages' - Olympiacos Transfer Update Is Good News for Coventry City

Newly promoted Premier League side Coventry City given a breather in negotiations for FC Porto's Francisco Moura as Olympiacos hit roadblock. 

According to an update on TransferFeed via Sport24.gr, Olympiacos have held preliminary talks with Porto for the potential transfer of Francisco Moura this summer as a direct replacement for left-back Francisco Ortega. However, nothing concrete has been decided between the two sides, and this provides Coventry City with space to capitalise. 

There is a major gap between the Red and Whites' plans for Moura and the Portuguese giants' approach to getting the sale done. Porto have listed a €10 million price tag for the permanent departure of their left-back and a total transfer of risk to the buying club, which automatically comes with an outright sale. Meanwhile, Olympiacos want to take the player on a season-long loan deal and agree on a predetermined price now for a possible buyout clause next summer. 

This is not the only matter on which the two clubs are differing at the moment. The Jose Luis Mendilibar-led side is unlikely to match Porto's asking price for Moura, who recovered from a cruciate ligament rupture. They believe that €10 million is a massive fee for Moura, but he might turn out to be one of the safest options for the left-back role for Olympiacos. 

As per an earlier report on Roundtable, Thrylos are ready to send an offer worth €7 million to Porto to initiate negotiations for Moura, but an official bid is yet to arrive. It was also revealed that Olympiacos shortlisted Uruguayan and River Plate left-back Matias Viña for a permanent transfer, but this is a tough ask since the player is already being heavily pursued by Spanish side Getafe. On top of that, he is set to be on loan till the end of this year with the Argentine club from Flamengo. 

Ortega's move to River Plate was made official recently, and now the Piraeus-based club must act quickly to get a reliable player in his position. A slip-up in negotiations with Porto would directly lead to a financially-charged Coventry City to counter Olympiacos' offer with ease, and therefore, the Greek giants will be required to get a green light from the player to pressure Porto into accepting their proposal, although the loan deal might not be a plausible way to proceed. 

More details are set to emerge in the coming and we will keep you posted on this space.