PSG have reportedly acted ahead of Manchester United to agree a £21 million deal for Benfica attacker Goncalo Guedes.
According to Simon Jones of Mail Online, Ligue 1 giants Paris St. Germain have beaten Premier League duo of Manchester United and Arsenal to secure the services of Benfica starlet Goncalo Guedes. The report suggests that the Parisians have agreed a £21 million deal for the 20-year-old.
Still in the early days of his playing career, Guedes has already hit the limelight due to his spirited performances for Portuguese side Benfica – both in the Primeira Liga as well as the Champions League.
Despite being only 20, the starlet has already nailed down his place in the Benfica starting lineup – ahead of the likes of Andre Carrillo and Andrija Zivkovic. In the 16 league matches played this season, Guedes has scored on two occasions and assisted as many, which has seen him earn a relatively impressive WhoScored rating of 7.07.
He has been more of a threat in the Champions League, scoring the same number of goals in just six appearances. The 20-year-old is one of manager Rui Vitoria’s first names on the team sheet, but it looks like the Portuguese is fighting a losing battle to keep the player at Benfica.
Premier League giants Arsenal and Manchester United, along with Ligue 1 heavyweights Paris St. Germain, were all extensively scouting him, and were handed a major boost when the player was not named in the squad to face Tondela in the Portuguese Primeira Liga on Sunday night.
However, it seems that PSG have taken a step ahead of the two English clubs and have reportedly agreed a £21 deal for the player dubbed as the ‘next Cristiano Ronaldo’ – according to many media experts.
Patrick Kluivert, the sporting director of PSG, was in Lisbon on Monday, concluding business with the club over a potential sale. The French side are set to offer an additional £4 million in add-ons and are likely to tie the player down to a four-and-a-half year deal at the Parc des Princes.
Manager Unai Emery also confirmed that PSG were in the hunt for the player. On Monday, the former Sevilla boss said, “All good players are of interest to PSG and Guedes is one. We are working on him and one we have the opportunity to sign. He is a good player, capable of playing wide or in the middle. He is a player of the future who is going to grow a lot.”
This will come as sad news to the Old Trafford faithful who have been looking to find an ideal replacement for their former hero Ronaldo. The Portugal captain achieved a tremendous amount of success at Manchester United before he completed a then world-record move to Real Madrid.
