FC Porto is back to work with reinforcements Fran Navarro and Uribe’s successor is under consideration.

This Friday, FC Porto starts preparations for the new football season with the reinforcement of Fran Navarro as an attraction for health and medical checkups, while they are still looking for an alternative to Mateus Uribe in midfield.

Gil Vicente’s all-time leading scorer in Ligue I with 33 goals in 66 games in the last two seasons. The Spanish striker signed a five-year contract on Wednesday and is the only signing announced by the national runners-up before the start of the 2023/24 season. .

FC Porto has already retained compatriot Ivan Marcano, the most prolific defender in the club’s history, who has agreed to an extension at the end of his contract, unlike Colombian Matheus Uribe (Al Saad, from Qatar), who has been playing since the 2019/20 season. , Fernando Andrade (Casa Pia), Manafa or Rodrigo Conceição, son of coach Sergio Conceição.

Also on the regular relegation table is Portuguese Under-21 international Diogo Leite, who was on loan at Union Berlin in 2022/23 and has now convinced the Germans to spend the 7.5 million euros (ME) stipulated in the buy clause.

At the start of the seventh season in a row, under the leadership of Sergio Conceição, the “dragons” meet in the morning at the PortoGaia Sports and Training Center in Olival, with one month left to compete in the Candido de Oliveira Supercopa against national champions Benfica, on 8 or 9 August, in Aveiro , in the first official game of the 2023/24 season.

In addition to clinical assessments, the team must conduct initial training on the field, with the exception of the Portuguese Diogo Costa, Pepe and Otavio, the Nigerian Zaidu, the Serb Marko Grujic, the Canadian Steven Eustaquio and the Iranian Mehdi Taremi. who lined up for their respective qualifiers in June following their success in the Portuguese Cup final.

These internationalists have been allowed to extend their holiday and will only join the group during their regular Algarve training period, dates unknown, although Portimonense First Division (19 July, location to be revealed) and Cardiff, English second tier (22nd, in Faro/Lole), who has already announced closed matches against Porto.

Five athletes who were loaned out last season are returning, such as Carrasa (Gil Vicente), Thomas Estevez (Pisa), Nanu (Santa Clara), Mamadou Lum (Reading) and Romario Baro (Casa Pia), whose future will be decide Sergio. Conceicao.

The next few days will serve to evaluate the clinical evolution of João Mario and the Brazilian Evanilson, who ended the 2022/23 season with a right knee sprain and new right hip discomfort, respectively, while Gabriel Veron suffered a left hip sprain. hip while on vacation in Brazil and returned early to Olival to recover.

The record holder for titles, victories and games at the head of FC Porto, Sergio Conceição, will work out the last season of his current contract and will try to save the championship lost to Benfica, despite success in the Super Cup, the League Cup and the Portuguese Cup.

Preliminary squad of FC Porto for the 2023/24 season:

– Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa, Claudio Ramos, Samuel Portugal and Francisco Meixedo.

– Defenders: Joao Mario, Carrasa (ex-Gil Vicente), Nanu (ex-Santa Clara), Tomas Esteves (ex-Pisa), Pepe, Fabio Cardoso, Joao Marcelo, Ivan Marcano, David Carmo, Wendell and Zaidoo.

– Midfielders: Marko Grujic, Mamadou Lum (ex-Reading), Steven Eustaquio, Bernardo Folha, Romario Baro (Casa Pia), Otavio, Andre Franco and Vasco Souza.

– Forwards: Pepe, Gonzalo Borges, Galeno, Gabriel Veron, Mehdi Taremi, Danny Namaso, Evanilson, Tony Martinez and Fran Navarro (ex-Gil Vicente).

Coach: Sergio Conceisau.

Out: Wilson Manafa (end of contract), Rodrigo Conceição (end of contract), Diogo Leite (Union Berlin, Ale), Matheus Uribe (Al Saad, Cat) and Fernando Andrade (Casa Pia).