Southampton and Leicester City rivalling Celtic and Wolves for 9-goal attacker | OneFootball

Southampton and Leicester City are among a host of clubs keeping tabs on Vitoria Guimaraes attacker Jota Silva after his outstanding season in Portugal.

Jota Silva’s career so far

The 24-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable rise in recent years, starting out in the lower leagues with Sousense and Espinho, before he moved to the second tier in 2020 with Leixoes, before he moved to Casa Pia, who were at the same level.

His impressive performances with Casa Pia prompted Guimaraes to bring him in during the summer window in 2022, and he managed just two goals and two assists in his first season in the Portuguese top-flight.

However, he has gone up a level this time around, finding the net nine times and registering six assists as Guimaraes sit fifth in the table, as they chase European football. Whilst he is capable of playing in different roles in the final third, most of Silva’s appearances have come on the right side of a front three.

As well as the improved productivity, Silva has been a constant threat with his dribbling ability and close control, and his performances have seen Roberto Martinez call the attacker up to the Portugal squad for the current international break.

Jota Silva transfer latest

Unsurprisingly, such form has caught the eye of clubs across Europe, and HITC has claimed that there is plenty of Premier League interest in Silva, along with the Championship duo and the Scottish champions.

“Wolverhampton Wanderers, Brighton, Brentford, Bournemouth and Celtic are just a host of clubs following Portuguese forward Jota Silva, HITC understands.

“HITC have been told half of Premier League teams have watched the player, including Gary O’Neil’s Wolves, as well as English Championship duo Leicester City and Southampton, and Celtic.”

Jota Silva ready for a big move

It’s been a great year for the player, and it seems he is capable of making the step up in the summer window when it opens.

The fact he has been called up to this incredibly talented Portugal squad says a lot, and working with those players in this international break is only going to make him even better.

Obviously, if he does make the Euro 2024 squad, his profile will continue to rise as well, so his stock is rising, and it appears he could have a big decision to make about his future.

Leicester City and Southampton summer plans

It would seem highly likely that Leicester and Southampton will have to win promotion to have any chance of winning the race to sign Silva given the calibre of clubs interested in him.

Clearly, he is a player who has a lot of talent, and if either side managed to bring him in, it would have to be considered a coup.

However, there are plenty of established top-flight clubs mentioned here, so it will be a difficult deal to do, whilst Celtic will also be able to offer European football.

But, it’s good for both teams to see that their recruitment teams are looking ahead, and they will no doubt have a list of players that they will target for whichever division the sides are in.