SERIE A - Udinese chief exec Marino: "Beto won't leave in January"

Signed by Udinese four months ago, from Primeira Liga side Portimonense, on a loan spell, Portuguese striker Beto (turning 24 on January 31) had a good impact on Italian football, by scoring seven goals in fifteen league games. To this end, Zebrette hitman, meant to be bought back on an overall 10 million euros fee, has reportedly been targeted by AC Milan. Addressed by Radio Sportiva with such rumours, Udinese head of football, Pierpaolo Marino stated:

"So far, we realized he managed to fit very well into Italian football from day one. He's paying off the sum we invested on his purchase, and we picked him when he was hardly known as a football player on the European scene. However, it's no time to bathe ourselves in praises, especially with overblown evaluations. Besides, Pozzo family never let their major players out during the half-season market window. Therefore, there's no way Beto is going to be up for sale in January".