UEFA Cup finalist Werder Bremen look set to redirect a proportion of the funds received from the sale of Brazilian midfielder Diego to Juventus towards the acquisition of highly-rated compatriot Nene, who currently plays in Portugal with Nacional. The 25-year-old, who finished the season as top scorer in the Liga Sagres rankings with twenty goals, was heavily linked with a January move to Arsenal, before reports across the continent linked him with the likes of Lyon and Hamburg.
Speaking in March the former Cruzeiro hitman stressed that his ambitions for the future would more than likely see him leave Portugal for a more established league.
"I am flattered by all the speculation,” Nene told skysports.com.
"I am ready to move abroad, if my club accept a bid I will be okay to move."
Nene's current Nacional contract expires in 2013, suggesting that Nacional will press the German suitors to offer a lucrative deal to get their star man. An asking price in excess of €5.5 million appears to have been set; a price which Werder should have no problem matching having received quadruple that amount for Diego.