Villas-Boas confirms Jota was to be approached for emotional Porto return | OneFootball

A plan was quietly forming behind the scenes to bring Diogo Jota back to his boyhood roots in Portugal before his life was tragically cut short last week.

FC Porto president Andre Villas-Boas has revealed the club were in discussions with Jota’s agent, Jorge Mendes, over a potential return in 2026 – a year before his Liverpool contract was due to expire.

It adds another layer of heartbreak to the loss of our forward and his younger brother Andre Silva, who both died in a car crash on Thursday morning (3 July) while returning to England for the start of pre-season.

Villas-Boas shares private message given to Jota before tragedy

(Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Speaking at the funeral in Gondomar (via liverpool.com), where many of Jota’s team-mates and former coaches gathered to say goodbye, Villas-Boas told Porto Canal: “We were working with agent Jorge Mendes on Diogo Jota’s return to FC Porto, and it won’t be possible.”

The former Chelsea and Spurs boss went on to say that the club had begun internal discussions regarding a return in the 2026/27 season.

He also confirmed he had passed on the interest directly to Jota himself: “I made a point of conveying that message to Diogo, through Jorge Mendes, at his wedding, and it was a dream for all the Porto fans that it had happened.”

Jota only spent one season playing for the Portuguese giants, in 2016/17, but the connection clearly ran far deeper.

His brother Andre also spent formative years in Porto’s academy before moving on to Penafiel.

In a moving gesture, Villas-Boas revealed that both brothers had now been made official Porto members.

“Diogo wasn’t a member [of the club], but he became one today,” he said, before confirming that membership cards were left at the memorial.

“In Andre Silva’s case, we symbolically recovered his membership fees and gave them to his family.”

Jota’s quiet influence stretched far beyond the pitch

(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

As Villas-Boas explained: “Diogo, especially as the greatest public figure, was a silent hero… Someone who will be remembered fondly, just like his brother.”

He was also a partner of Porto’s Esports team, strengthening his bond with the club and supporters despite his success abroad.

While any return to the Estadio do Dragao will now only live in memory, the sentiment remains powerful – another example of the immense respect and admiration Jota earned across his career.