Police in Portugal have identified a new suspect in the Madeleine McCann case after talks with British officers.
It follows a tip-off that a “foreign” man was in the Algarve at the time of the youngster’s disappearance in 2007.
Correio da Manha newspaper said police will look at a “new clue and suspect” and claimed they “admit to being nearer to knowing what happened to Madeleine”.
Scotland Yard detectives met Policia Judiciaria officers in Porto to discuss the investigation.
A source there said: “The British were here recently, there were talks at the PJ office in the city.
“It’s all very secret but then it always is with the Madeleine case. Only the police know who the suspect is.”
This was the first face-to-face meeting since Scotland Yard reportedly gave the new suspect’s name to Policia Judiciaria.
It is not clear if the man’s current whereabouts are known. Madeleine was three when she vanished from her holiday flat at Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007 while parents Kate and Gerry ate with friends nearby.
The local probe into her disappearance was axed in 2008. The Met launched its Operation Grange in 2011. Home Office chiefs have agreed to fund it for a further 12 months, making the bill so far £12million.
Scotland Yard would only say the investigation is “ongoing”.
