Carlos Fortes: Cape Verde-Portuguese striker linked with Semen Padang move

Carlos Fortes, the Cape Verde-Portuguese centre-forward currently without a club, is being linked with a move to Indonesian side Semen Padang in the Championship. The 31-year-old free agent has emerged as a potential attacking reinforcement, with the Indonesian club exploring a deal that would not involve a transfer fee.

Fortes has been unattached since leaving Vietnamese side SLNA FC on 1 July 2026, following a short spell that began in March of the same year. His current market value is estimated at around €75,000, a figure that would make him a relatively low-cost option in terms of wages and signing-on package for a club in Indonesia’s second tier.

The Lisbon-born forward has built a notably itinerant career, featuring in Europe, North Africa and Asia. After early years in Portugal and Spain, he moved through stints at Braga B and Vizela before making a €200,000 switch to Romanian side Universitatea Craiova in February 2019, the only recorded fee of his career. Subsequent free transfers took him to Ittihad Tanger in Morocco, Vilafranquense in Portugal and then to Arema FC and PSIS in Indonesia, where he first established himself in the country’s football landscape.

Fortes has since added spells in the United Arab Emirates with Al-Dhafra FC and in China with FS Nanshi and SZ Dongwu, before returning to Southeast Asia with SLNA FC. With no contract currently tying him down, Semen Padang are monitoring the situation closely as they weigh up whether to move for the right-footed 1.88m striker.