Manchester United and Juventus are reportedly keen on signing out-of-favour Barcelona midfielder Andre Gomes for £35 million.
According to a report by AS, Manchester United and Serie-A champions Juventus are interested in landing Andre Gomes this summer. Gomes, who is currently on international duty with Portugal in the Confederations Cup 2017, is likely to be off-loaded by the Spanish club in a bid to fund other transfers.
The 23-year-old endured a rather unpleasant first season at Camp Nou. Although he showed promising improvement towards the end of the season, it is believed that Barcelona are set to show him the exit door.
Gomes joined the Catalonian giants last season in a move from Valencia but he could start in only 17 La Liga games. He did contribute with only three goals and one assist but he had to struggle for playing time and that is something he will be looking for if he does choose to move out of Camp Nou ahead of next season.
The Portuguese midfielder seemed to be struggling under Luis Enrique’s tutelage. Enrique’s style requires Gomes to stall the ball which prevents him from passing through the lines often. Having said that, Gomes does not lack talent since he is physically strong and also proficient at bypassing an opposition midfield.
While he is also a good controller of the ball, he does need to improve his passing range but that is something that can be worked upon if he receives adequate playing time.
What should be noted here is that Gomes was a bright prospect at his previous club and was even linked with a United move before his switch to Barcelona, but now, the Red Devils seem ready to swoop for him again.
Jose Mourinho will greatly benefit by playing Gomes at the base of the midfield alongside Ander Herrera and the creative Paul Pogba. Gomes clearly did not fit alongside Javier Mascherano at Barcelona, but both Herrera and Pogba can provide the Portuguese international with strong support.
Meanwhile, Juventus have been on the look-out for midfield reinforcements ahead of next season, as they look to take the final step towards Champions League glory after having failed at the final hurdle twice in their last three seasons.
Massimiliano Allegri has been interested in signing former Stoke and Blackburn star N’Zonzi but were unable to work out a deal with his current club Sevilla. Hence, Allegri is eyeing Gomes as an alternative to N’Zonzi.
Gomes is at that stage in his career wherein he will improve only with enough playing time and that might be hard to come by at Barcelona since the Catalonian giants are looking to spend big by signing Paris Saint-Germain’s Marco Verratti in that position.
Leaving Camp Nou will be ideal for him especially with clubs like United and Juventus considering a move to sign him.