Bolton in talks to sign 'new Messi' - NIXON

Bolton boss Owen Coyle is making a daring bid to sign Juan Manuel Iturbe - an Argentinian teenage sensation who has been dubbed the new Lionel Messi.

Coyle has approached Portuguese giants Porto to ask if he can take the 18-year-old attacker on loan, in a deal with echoes of his previous swoops to borrow Arsenal's Jack Wilshere and Chelsea's Daniel Sturridge.

Iturbe has played only a couple of times for Porto since a controversial transfer from South America, and is rumoured to have been‘parked’ at the club before a move to Manchester United or Chelsea.

Bolton now want to snap up Iturbe and give him first-team football for half a season, in the hope he can help their Premier League survival bid.

Trotters supremo Phil Gartside has sanctioned the ambitious swoop and the club have been in negotiations with Porto for the past few days.

Iturbe, who is powerful despite standing only 5ft 6in tall and is rated as one of South America's most exciting young talents, has opted to play for Argentina after representing Paraguay as a kid.



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Mark Davies is ' Little Messi ' now we have ' new Messi ', I would much prefer it if we could just just have Messi.

5ft6? He won't last 5 minutes.

Natasha Whittam wrote:5ft6? He won't last 5 minutes.

Mavies is only 4' 3" isn't he?



Anyhoo, I thought this deal (along with the Dutch guy, Ream, Anuno, Hoilett, McEachran loan etc) was already dead?

Wouldn't surprise me if Cahill deal collapses too and we sign nobody, but I live in hope.

Mavies is only 4' 3" isn't he?

Only in high heels on a Saturday night.

I'd much rather we sign someone that knows the league and is able to adapt to playing in it every week than go in for a foreign unknown.

Sturridge and Wilshire v Brataan and Wilhelmsson.

I'll say no more.