Milan close in on Lopes

Real Betis midfielder Fabio Lopes is hopeful he will soon sign a contract with AC Milan.

The Portugal Under-18 international has had a trial with the Serie A champions and it is believed he has caught the eye of the Italian outfit.

Lopes has already passed a medical with AC Milan, who are now locked in talks with Betis with a view to signing the midfielder.

“I hope I can come to an agreement with Milan to join their team,” Lopes told Antena 1. “However, in case negotiations do not go as expected, I have other alternatives in Italy.”

“I am very motivated, even though things are not yet totally confirmed. I am still waiting for an answer.”

The 18-year-old, who played at Estoril, Sporting Lisbon and Benfica as a teenager, moved to Betis in 2010 after growing unhappy with the lack of opportunities in his homeland.

He has often been dubbed ‘the new Rui Costa’, and admitted to being flattered by such comparisons.

“I feel a huge pride when people make that comparison,” he said. “After all the work I have been doing in the past few years, to be compared to the great Rui Costa and to the player he was is great.”

“It is undoubtedly a huge motivation to keep working at the highest level.”

If confirmed, this will be AC Milan’s second signing of a Portuguese youngster in the space of six month, after they landed 18-year-old defender Ricardo Ferreira from Porto in July.