ISL 2018: NorthEast United FC's Marcinho attracts interest from Turkish Super Lig club Bursaspor
Marcinho may have had a disappointing season with NorthEast United FC in the ISL, but his performances have been good enough to attract multiple interests from abroad. The interested parties in Marcinho's case include clubs from the Thai League and even the Turkish Super Lig.
NorthEast United FC had finished bottom of the ISL in the recently-concluded season, but Marcinho has been one of the few positives for the Guwahati-based club this season, having scored one-third of the club's goals (four goals from 16 appearances), along with one assist. However, his efforts were not enough to haul the Highlanders out of the bottom spot in the league.
Sportskeeda had earlier already reported that the Brazilian was not too keen on extending his stay in Assam, despite the fact that Avraam Grant wants to keep him at the club. Now, with his contract set to run out in May, Marcinho is courting offers from Turkish Super Lig club Bursaspor and Thai League side Suphanburi.
Incidentally, the Thai League season gets underway in February and goes on until October. Hence, if the 31-year-old does decide to take up that offer, he would have to join the club immediately. However, after a long ISL campaign, the Brazilian is said to be looking to take a break, before getting back to the pitch, Sportskeeda learnt from the player's agency Football Solutions.
In such a scenario, Bursaspor are likely to be ahead in the race to land Marcinho's signature at the moment as they are looking to sign him for the upcoming 2018/19 season.
To add to that, signing for Bursaspor would also give Marcinho the opportunity to play against some of the top European stars in Turkey. The chance of qualifying for the UEFA Europa League or the coveted UEFA Champions League in the future also cannot be ruled out.
Till date, the Green Crocodiles have qualified for the Europa League four times (2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15), while they have made it to the Champions League main draw once in their history (2010-11), when they finished bottom of a group that also consisted of the likes of Manchester United, Valencia, and Glasgow Rangers. A home draw against the Rangers was the only result that they could earn in that campaign.