Barcelona have reportedly turned down an offer worth €45 million for struggling Portuguese midfielder Andre Gomes.
Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo have reported that Barcelona are set to keep faith in Andre Gomes despite a poor debut campaign at Camp Nou last season. The Catalan club have, thus, rejected a €45 million bid from an unnamed club to offload the player in the summer transfer window.
Gomes enjoyed his first foray into Spanish football with a fruitful two-year spell at Valencia, where he was a key member of the first-team setup. Impressed by the player’s development with Los Che as well as the starring role that he played in Portugal’s shock triumph in Euro 2016, Barcelona snapped him up last summer in a €35 million deal.
However, the 23-year-old’s development has stuttered a lot at Camp Nou, following his struggles to establish himself as a regular in the Blaugrana’s first-team setup. Often having to compete with the likes of Ivan Rakitic, Denis Suarez and Rafinha for one place at the heart of the Barcelona midfield, Gomes managed to start just 25 games last season.
Prove us wrong @aftgomes @DenisSuarez6 pic.twitter.com/dZuv6AdmYg
— J. (@JojoCule) July 7, 2017
As he regularly filtered in and out of Luis Enrique’s side, the player’s performances took a major hit, and he could only bag 3 goals and an assist in all competitions. With Gomes failing to live up to his billing and justify his price tag, widespread reports have claimed that he could be set to leave Barcelona after just one season.
In fact, a host of big name suitors who are ready to gamble in the Portugal international have been linked to him in recent months. The player’s agent, Jorge Mendes, has, thus, informed Barcelona that he has received three offers for his client, with an unnamed club even prepared to shell out €45 million for him.
The Catalan club firmly believe that Gomes has a lot of unfulfilled potential that can be nourished under the tutelage of Ernesto Valverde. Should he do so, the 23-year-old can potentially be a long-term solution for Barcelona as well.
The decision to keep faith in Gomes, perhaps, also stems from the fact that Barcelona are no closer to securing the services of Marco Verratti, with options few and far between as regards to alternatives to the Italian.
And although midfield is reportedly a priority for the club, there is little clarity if they will be able to land a top midfielder this summer. For now though, Gomes looks set to remain at Camp Nou beyond the summer despite widespread interest in him.
