Porto join chase for Rivaldo

UEFA Cup holders Porto have joined the chase to sign Brazilian World Cup winner Rivaldo, who was released by Champions League titleholders Italian giants AC Milan earlier this month, the forward’s lawyer said yesterday.

"Porto has shown interest, but there still is no concrete offer," Jose Carlos Lajes admitted.

Rivaldo has been seeking a club since being released by Milan after an unsuccessful 17-month spell.

The 31-year-old joined Milan on a free contract, a month after winning the World Cup with Brazil.

Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti limited him to just 16 Serie A matches, and eight Champions League games last season, when he only made the bench in the Champions League final against Inter Milan.

This season has been even worse for Rivaldo, who has made only one substitute appearance in the Champions League, and has not played in Serie A.

Porto are looking to repeat their success of the last season when they won the both the Portuguese Cup and Championship, in addition to the UEFA title.

The club currently leads the 18-team Portuguese first division, five points ahead of Sporting Lisbon.

But Porto will have to do without playmaker Derlei for the rest of the season after he injured a ligament in his right knee in a league match against Alverca on December 22.

The 28-year-old Brazilian striker, the top scorer in the Portuguese premiership, underwent knee surgery on Monday.

Portuguese giants Benfica, who currently lie in third in the league, have reportedly also made a bid for Rivaldo, but negotiations have stumbled over wages.

Meanwhile, Henrik Larsson says he knows nothing about making a January move to the Premiership. The Celtic striker also looks ahead to the Old Firm game with Rangers, admitting it would be brilliant if they broke the record set by the 1968 Celtic side for 18 wins on the trot by beating arch-rivals Rangers.

"Obviously, with the transfer window opening, there is all the usual speculation about me, and whether I'll be moving," said Larsson. "The media is full of it, and all I can say is that it's nice to see that everyone knows more about it than me. It's simply not something I'm spending too much time thinking about at the moment as we have a big week at Celtic. We face Rangers in another very important Old Firm derby this weekend and that is the only thing that is on my mind."