Sporting swoop for Slavchev and Paulo Oliveira

Sporting Clube de Portugal have wasted no time strengthening for 2014/15 after signing PFC Litex Lovech captain Simeon Slavchev and defender Paulo Oliveira from Vitória SC, both on five-year contracts.

Slavchev, a box-to-box midfielder, caught the eye with some stellar performances this term. He scored 14 goals in 34 Bulgarian A League games to help Litex to third place, winning his first cap for Bulgaria in October's 1-0 FIFA World Cup qualifying defeat by the Czech Republic. He made his first start in March, in a 2-1 victory over Belarus.

Slavchev, 20, joins in an undisclosed deal thought to be worth in the region of €2.5m and will be the sixth Bulgarian player to turn out for Sporting, Portuguese Liga runners-up this season. He follows Vanyo Kostov, Krasimir Balakov, Ivaylo Yordanov, Boncho Genchev and Valeri Bozhinov.

Paulo Oliveira, 22, is a Portuguese Under-21 international central defender who has made 46 Liga appearances for Guimarães over the past two campaigns, lifting the Portuguese Cup in 2012/13. Paulo Oliveira, like Slavchev, has a €45m release clause in his contract.