Juventus and two clubs from the Premier League are reportedly interested in signing Andre Gomes from Barcelona in the summer
Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo have reported that Andre Gomes is set to be the subject of interest of Juventus and two clubs of the Premier League in the summer transfer window, and Barcelona are pondering whether to sell or keep hold of the Portuguese midfielder.
Gomes arrived at Barcelona in the summer of 2016 after a breakthrough campaign with Valencia last season, which was followed by him playing a key role in Portugal’s triumph in the European Championship.
However, the move hasn’t quite turned out to be a successful one so far, as Gomes has struggled to carve out a regular place for himself in the first-team picture at Camp Nou.
English sides and Juventus have expressed interest in Gomes, but the club wants him to stay for at least one more year #fcblive [md]
— Barcastuff (@barcastuff__) May 11, 2017
With Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets still going strong, the Portuguese midfielder has often had to compete with the likes of Ivan Rakitic, Denis Suarez and Rafinha for the final place at the heart of midfield.
As a result, Gomes has managed just 17 starts in La Liga this season apart from 11 other appearances of the bench. And with just three goals and two assists to show for his efforts, it is clear that he has failed to live up to his billing.
The frustration among the Barcelona supporters with Gomes is often palpable as well as he has failed to justify the money that was shelled out for him last summer. Consequently, he has become a figure who is polarising opinions among the Barcelona hierarchy.
Sporting director Robert Fernandez believes that Gomes still needs time to settle in at Camp Nou, while some others have opined that he should be sold if the right offer comes their way. And the transfer fee will surely prove to be a stumbling block, as Barcelona are unlikely to recoup the €60 million they paid for Gomes in its entirety.
Having said that, there is considerable interest in Gomes, with Juventus and two clubs from the Premier League keen on landing him in the summer. Juventus, in particular, could be in dire need of a central midfielder.
That is because Claudio Marchisio is on the wrong side of 30, and has suffered from a spate of injuries in the last two seasons, while Sami Khedira is being heavily linked with a summer exit from the Juventus Stadium. Thus, Massimiliano Allegri is believed to be scouting viable midfield targets for the summer.
The two Premier League clubs have not been mentioned in the report, but Mundo Deportivo claim that the interest from the duo as well as Juventus is serious. They also suggest that these outfits will be willing to fork out as much as €35 million to secure Gomes’ services in the summer.
It is now up to Barcelona to decide whether the offer is good enough to offload the Portuguese, whose career is stuttering at Camp Nou, or give him another season to show just why the Blaugranas paid so much to sign him last summer.
