Big-spending Monaco determined to land in-demand Porto star.
Check in to Sochaux vs AS Monaco
Big-spending Monaco could be set to meet the £42m release clause of Porto starlet Eliaquim Mangala and beat the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea to his signature, according to the Daily Express.
The 22-year-old is widely regarded as one of the best young defenders in the world, and his fine performances in Portugal have also seen him emerge as a target for the likes of Manchester United and Barcelona in recent times, as he looks to have a great future in the game.
However, mega-rich Monaco are also keen on signing the world’s best talent since their takeover by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, and have identified a top centre-back as one of their priorities this January.
Having signed the likes of Radamel Falcao and Joao Moutinho during the summer, as well as another up-and-coming French talent Geoffrey Kondogbia, Monaco now hope to add Mangala to their growing list of world class names at the Ligue 1 title hopefuls.
Mangala has previously stated he is happy at Porto, though the club will be forced to accept a bid if his sizable release clause is met, which could see even wealthy clubs such as Chelsea and City miss out on his signing this season.