Manchester United star Jesse Lingard is set to leave his boyhood club in pursuit of increased presence on the pitch, which the winger could find in Portugal. The midfielder will reportedly sign a one-year loan deal with Porto and will likely from Old Trafford before October 25.
The date is the deadline set for Portuguese clubs to complete their summer signings and it is believed Porto will be sealing the deal on Lingard, among the players targeted by the club in the Premier League.
According to Mirror, talks are now underway between the Red Devils and Porto, and an agreement could be finalized anytime soon. If the transfer pushes through, Lingard will follow Alex Telles to the Portuguese side.
The defender made the move before the summer transfer window closes for United on October 5.
Lingard moving away is unsurprising at all. He appeared in 22 games for the side of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last season but hardly made an impact and only cleared the net in the last few matches.
Pundits have been expecting that the 27-year-old will opt for a transfer out as he fell down below Solskjaer's pecking order. There were talks of a possible move to Tottenham for a reunion with Jose Mourinho but the deal never materialized.
The move to Porto is seen as the best option for Lingard at the moment as the side is tipped to be a better stage for the player to win regular playing minutes, which should allow him to regain confidence.
Darren Fletcher, Lingard's former teammate, said he knew that the star was working for a move away when agent Mino Raiola came in to the picture.
"The alarm bells started ringing for me when he appointed Mino Raiola as his agent. Now you don't appoint Mino Raiola as your agent if you're looking at staying at a club," Sport Bible reported Fletcher as saying.
The former midfielder added Lingard is looking for a new challenge and playing for Porto could be the answer. It was clear too that the United man wants to be a starter and that is unlikely to happen if he stays with the squad handled by Solskjaer.
Darren Bent said Lingard is out to prove he remains the player that impressed while in international duties with England. And the move to Porto will afford the United man the opportunity to play regularly and show to the world his quality.
Lingard getting playtime on Porto will allow him to secure his spot as a regular England international, and Bent pointed out the star did showcase his skills in the 2018 World Cup.
