A club president of one of Diogo Jota’s former clubs has confirmed that there were plans to bring him back to the club in 2026.
The Liverpool forward tragically died alongside his brother, André, in Spain last Thursday following a car accident.
The news ushered in a period of mourning amongst the football community, with tributes pouring in from fans, players and clubs across the world. Naturally, Anfield has become a focus point of this mourning, where in the days since fans and former club legends have visited to pay tribute to the brothers.
Prior to his arrival at Liverpool, Jota spent three seasons at Wolverhampton Wanderers — the first on loan — helping them secure promotion to the Premier League as winners of the Championship during the 2017–18 campaign. An impressive first six months in England was rewarded with a full transfer to Molineux for a reported €14 million, initially announced on January 30th, 2018 but effective at the end of the season.
However, it was another one of Jota’s former clubs that showed interested in bringing him back to the club. The Portuguese forward spent one season on loan at FC Porto from parent club Atlético Madrid in 2016–17, contributing 9 goals in 37 appearances. During this time, Diogo’s brother André was a part of the youth setup at the club.
Porto’s club president André Villas-Boas has now revealed there were plans to make an approach for Jota in 2026 — a year before his Liverpool contract expired. Speaking at Diogo and André’s funeral on Saturday, the former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur boss confirmed discussions had taken place.
“Unfortunately, we were working with agent Jorge Mendes on Diogo Jota’s return to FC Porto, and it won’t be possible.
It would be from 2026/27, and we had discussed the possibility. 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.”
Villas-Boas went on to pay respect to both Diogo and André, honouring them as FC Porto members.
“Diogo wasn’t a member [of the club], but he became one today. I hope that all FC Porto members understand this move.
In Andre Silva’s case, we symbolically recovered his membership fees and gave them to his family. We intended to leave the two membership cards here.”
