Aston Villa are reportedly interested in Pedro Goncalves, who could leave Sporting CP after bringing Jorge Mendes on board as his co-agent.
Pedro Goncalves and his agent Jorge Pires have come to an agreement with super-agent Jorge Mendes, which could call for an exciting future. Now, Jornal de Noticias via Sport Witness reckons the attacker could leave Sporting CP, with Aston Villa one of the sides keen on the winger.
Pedro Goncalves continues to have a tremendous season at Sporting and produces memorable performances. He has 17 goals and 10 assists in all competitions and remains one of their most important stars. Yet, his future at the club has come in doubt with the latest development from the player’s side.
The 24-year-old winger and his agent, Jorge Pires, have secured an agreement of partnership with super-agent Jorge Mendes. Since Goncalves continues to perform, they might anticipate the interest of top clubs.
A move to the Premier League can materialise for Goncalves, and given Mendes’ connections, the super agent could find a top project. The 24-year-old winger would entertain offers, especially from those in a European competition.
The reports suggest Aston Villa might have eyeballs on the 24-year-old winger. Unai Emery has taken the team to new heights since arriving at the club in November. After Arsenal and Manchester City, the Midlands side have taken the most points since the Spaniard’s appointment.
Villa are gunning for a European finish. They are well on course for that and plan to sign specific players if they make it there. Names like Tammy Abraham were linked through reports, which could come across as ambitious.
They also look at quality names within the Premier League, with Reiss Nelson linked with a free transfer. While he could prove a bargain capture, Goncalves could cost equally large sums of money. Sporting CP could negotiate with clubs or ask suitors to pay his €80 million release clause immediately.
Villa will certainly look to pay a lot less, but that will depend if they are the only club chasing Goncalves. Sporting would hope for more suitors to come into the chase, but that’s not the case so far, according to reports from Portugal.
For now, Goncalves will hope for a big move ahead of the summer and could open the doors to Aston Villa. As for the money, Sporting will hope for a significant chunk. They will owe the player’s former side Famalicao 50% of any sale as they own half his rights.
Irrespective of how much they sell him for, Sporting will still make a significant profit on their €6.5 million investment. Whether Aston Villa will pay over the odds remains the question, but they remain interested.
