Barcelona have reportedly made several approaches for Pote, although they cannot afford the 23-year-old Portuguese international due to their financial woes.
According to a report by Portuguese publication Record, Barcelona are interested in signing Pedro Goncalves before the summer transfer window slams shut. In fact, the Catalan outfit are said to have begun exploratory talks with Sporting Lisbon for the 23-year-old Portuguese international, although they cannot afford his €60 million valuation.
Pedro Goncalves, also known as Pote, has been nothing short of phenomenal since joining Sporting Lisbon from Famalicao last summer. Having arrived at the Jose Alvalade Stadium as a long-term replacement for Bruno Fernandes, the 23-year-old has gone a long way in filling the void of his compatriot.
In fact, he played a key role as Sporting Lisbon clinched the Primeira Liga title last season, and to date, the Portuguese international has managed a tally of 27 goals and five assists in 40 outings for the club. His progress has captured the attention of some of the biggest clubs in the world, and the latest in the long line of suitors are Barcelona.
Barcelona are attempting to fill a gaping hole in their attacking unit, created by the departure of Lionel Messi. While his influence cannot be emulated, Barcelona can at least attempt to add to their goals tally with a signing or two. To that end, the Blaugrana have been linked with several forwards in the last couple of weeks or so, and even tried signing Tammy Abraham from Chelsea.
Most recently, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has also been viewed as a key target, as per reports. However, someone like Pote could be more of a viable target for Barcelona, seeing as he can play across the attacking line while also scoring goals for fun and also boosting creativity on top of that.
Such an impact could make him as close to a Messi replacement as possible for Barcelona, who have even had exploratory talks with Sporting Lisbon after closely monitoring him for some time. However, the Portuguese champions have pointed towards his €60 million release clause to part ways with the 23-year-old.
In addition, Sporting have no intention of selling Pote, who continues to be a critical member of the first-team setup. Barcelona cannot afford his €60 million valuation anyway, which essentially means the Portuguese international is now set to stay put at the Jose Alvalade Stadium.