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Porto striker Radamel Falcao has signed a new contract with the club and has upped his release clause to a staggering 45 million pounds. The Colombian striker has been a target for many clubs this summer including Chelsea, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid and Tottenham.
Porto informed the Portuguese stock market (CMVM) that Falcao had been tied down on a long term deal with the club, one that would keep him at the Estadio do Dragao till the year 2015. The earlier contract Falcao had, included a manageable release clause of 30 million pounds that many clubs might have been willing to shell out in exchange for a player of his calibre.
But the new contract has a revised release clause of 45 million pounds, a much more formidable figure that will make clubs think twice before approaching Porto for any enquiries about Falcao.
Falcao was the fulcrum of a three-pronged attack at Andre Villas-Boas’s Porto last season and had his most prolific season till date as his team swept through everything before them. He holds the record of the most goals scored in the Europa League- an extremely impressive 17. Falcao’s opportunistic poaching abilities coupled with inherent technique and hold up play meant that he was one of the first players Villas-Boas thought of bringing with his to Chelsea.
Atletico Madrid have also been credited with an interest in Falcao after rumours that Sergio Aguero will make the switch to Real Madrid. The striker is currently on international duty with Colombia in the Copa America, who are preparing to take on Peru in the quarter finals of the competition.
It remains to be seen whether Villas-Boas and Chelsea raise the stakes and pay the release clause for Falcao (in a similar manner that Villas-Boas’s release clause was paid for a few weeks ago to pry him away from Porto) or if Falcao is safe at Porto for many more seasons. Stay tuned for more in this regard.
