Swansea City have agreed a deal with FC Porto for Canadian midfielder Stephen Eustáquio. The 29-year-old has travelled to south Wales to undergo a medical and complete the formalities of a move that would make him Swansea's seventh arrival of the summer.
The deal is believed to be in the region of £3m, with reports in Portugal also suggesting there will be performance-related add-ons and a sell-on clause.
Midfield priority addressed
The move addresses a key priority for Vitor Matos, who had previously seen his midfield options depleted by the departures of Ethan Galbraith and Brighton loanee Malick Yalcouye.
The club had looked at Valencia's Andre Almeida and Senegal youngster Ousseynou Fall Seck, but appear to have missed out on both. They had also expressed an interest in Alverca's Davy Gui, but stopped short of making a concrete bid. Whether he was potentially seen as an alternative to Eustáquio isn't yet clear.
Experience at international and club level
Eustáquio has never played in the Championship, but would still bring a wealth of experience with him. He has been a regular international for Canada, having won 61 caps and featured in the last two World Cups.
Earlier this summer, he captained his country in their first ever home World Cup and even scored a vital goal against South Africa, which ultimately sent his side through to the last 16 of the tournament.
He spent the second half of last season on loan at MLS side LAFC, after falling out of favour at Porto. Indeed, he has just one minute of first-team action with Porto to his name this season after three games.
Nevertheless, he leaves having picked up plenty of experience with the Portuguese giants, racking up 12 goals and 11 assists in 157 games for the club.
Further business possible
The move would potentially bring Swansea's business close to a conclusion for the summer, although they remain keen on adding a centre-back, particularly in light of injury concerns around Cameron Burgess and Ben Cabango.
Conor Coady and Jake Clarke-Salter have both been linked in recent days, but neither are currently believed to be serious targets at this stage. The window shuts at 11pm on Tuesday.
