Reports in the continental press claim that Premier League giants Arsenal and Manchester United will do battle for Porto striker Hulk over the course of the next month as they look to boost their respective squads for a title push in the second half of the season.
Both Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson are thought to be monitoring the situation of the Brazilian attacker, real name Givanildo Vieira de Souza, despite the huge €100 million buy-out clause inserted by his current Portuguese owners as speculation mounts that the 23-year-old could be snapped up for a fee closer to £20m.
"The big clubs in England have been in contact," Hulk’s agent Teodoro Fonseca is quoted as saying this weekend.
"They have asked for details about his contract situation but any decision about his future rests mainly with the directors of Porto.
"I am calm about the situation and so is the player because he has an excellent future. I think we could be discussing a move in April or May."
Arsenal are known to be in the market for a striker with Robin van Persie ruled out for the season, Nicklas Bendtner sitting on the sidelines since November and Theo Walcott repeatedly struggling to cope with the physicality of life in the first team. With Carlos Vela, Andrey Arshavin and Eduardo da Silva all taking on the duty of spearheading offensive duties at the Emirates it is thought that Wenger is very much on the lookout for a more physical presence.
With moves for Bordeaux’s Marouane Chamakh, AC Milan’s Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Real Madrid’s Ruud van Nistelrooy, Inter Milan’s Mario Balotelli and Wolfsburg’s Edin Dzeko all ruled out, the Arsenal boss has so far remained coy on his plans for the transfer window. Hulk’s close friendship with Gunners’ midfielder Denilson could help persuade the player himself into taking a chance on life in England although the fact that Porto are due to face the London side in the next round of the Champions League could prove a difficult hurdle to overcome.
Manchester United’s attacking options have also been subject to intense scrutiny since the summer sale of both Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez. With Michael Owen struggling for form and Dimitar Berbatov still wayward in achieving consistently decisive performances in the famous red shirts, it is Wayne Rooney who has shouldered the burden of scoring the goals for Sir Alex Ferguson. Despite taking on the role with aplomb it is thought that new world class teammates would ease the pressure on the England international and could help breath new life into a squad reeling from seven defeats this season.
Despite being knocked out of the FA Cup yesterday, Manchester United are still fighting for silverware on three fronts with the Premier League, Champions League and Carling Cup titles still up for grabs.