Miguel Veloso is set to leave Sporting Lisbon this January with top European clubs Arsenal, Tottenham, Barcelona and Fiorentina all linked with a £9m move. The Portuguese defender come defensive midfielder has been linked to a move to the Premier League for a number of seasons but with his club now looking to sell, he may well be on his way.

Veloso has yet to fulfill the promise his early career suggested after both injury and arguments with the Sporting management hampered his progress. However, he still has attracted plenty of admirers including Harry Redknapp and Arsene Wenger.
The versatile Portuguese star was limited to just 21 League appearances last season (15 starts) but has started all 13 of his league appearances this season which has seen him break back into the Portuguese national team. Both Spurs and Arsenal are looking for cover for both their defensive midfield and central defender positions and Veloso would be ideal as he can play both roles naturally.

He has left the door open to a move to the Premier League when he said, “I am fine where I am, but I have the dream to play abroad and that is normal in every young player.”

Bolton made a move to sign the Portuguese star back last January which was confirmed by the midfielder’s agent Paulo Barbosa. When asked if Bolton were likely to sign the player, he told Setanta.com, “No, no it is not true. Bolton, no.”

“It is true they were interested in January but Sporting refused an offer for €12 million.

When asked about Tottenham, Arsenal and Man City’s continued interest, Barbosa interestingly revealed, “We will see, we will see soon.”

Barbosa had confirmed that the Premier League was his most likely destination when he revealed, “England is his first choice, and he already speaks good English. Everything is possible at the moment.”

Tottenham’s interest in the defender come defensive midfielder makes perfect sense after the continued injuries sustained to Redknapp’s first choice centre-backs and need for more midfield strength as Veloso is adept at filling both of those roles. Wilson Palacios has proved an exceptional signing but there are fears at the club that they don’t possess the strength in depth to cover his role if he falls to injury.

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Veloso had a public fallout with his Sporting Lisbon coach Paulo Bento last season after being made to play left-back against his wishes. However, the player and coach are reported to have settled their differences but still the midfielder is likely to be sold. Bento told SIC Noticias, “Miguel Veloso is a player who is under contract until 2013 and, like everyone else, he could be sold or he could stay.”

“If he stays, he will be treated as he always has been, playing in the position that best serves the team.”

The player’s father Antonio has admitted that the player does want to leave the club. He had this to say concerning his son, “We will speak with the club to resolve everything about his future so that he doesn’t leave the club on bad terms.”

The defensive midfielder can also play at centre-half and has been linked in the past with the likes of Manchester United, Juventus and AC Milan. With the player’s versatility it is no wonder there are a number of English clubs looking to sign the long-haired 23-year-old. This interest is all despite only playing 85 league games (75 starts) for his club though the Portuguese star has impressed in European competition for Sporting.

Veloso is a full international (10 caps, 1 goal) and impressed in the European U21 Championships held in Holland. He was also part of his Portugal’s Euro 2008 squad but only featured in the 2-0 group defeat to the co-hosts Switzerland. He had fallen some way down the pecking order but returned to play in three World Cup qualifiers.

Sporting are likely to want to cash in on one of their most valuable assets especially after a disappointing league campaign which has seen them drop to 5th place, 12 points behind leaders Sporting Braga. Whether his next destination is White Hart Lane or the Emirates is up for debate. His strength, versatility and talented left-foot have led to a queue of potential suitors attempting to attract him to the English top division although it’s the North London pair that are heading the chase.

His price tag has dropped to a reasonable £9m or £10m from the £18m mark during Euro 2008. The fee is unlikely to put off the Premier League clubs for long whilst the young Portuguese star is reportedly keen to make the transition. He would give balance to Spurs midfield as his signing would give Redknapp’s side the licence to use their attacking strengths with the safety net of Veloso and Wilson Palacios operating behind them. A deal to sign Brazilian midfielder Sandro has hit difficulties and with Sporting keen on Tottenham misfit Roman Pavlyuchenko a move to Spurs is on. However, Arsenal have a transfer kitty that would dwarf their rivals if they do make their move this month.

So would you like your club to sign the Portuguese star or is he vastly overrated in your eyes? Let’s hear your views.