With Rúben Amorim on the verge of becoming Manchester United manager and Viktor Gyökeres turning any half opportunity into a goal, Sporting CP are the club on everyone’s lips at the moment.
The spotlight has seen multiple players thrown into the rumour mill, often without much foundation to suggest they warrant a move to the Premier League at this stage.
One man who hasn’t been mentioned enough is Pedro Gonçalves. He’s been linked with Aston Villa and others previously but Sporting priced him out of a move.
The 26-year-old has scored five goals and contributed six assists across 11 matches so far this season. Last season it was 18 goals and 17 assists.
He plays mainly on the left of Rúben Amorim’s front three, but is flexible and can used elsewhere. It’s perhaps not too wild to say Gonçalves has been Sporting’s best creator since Bruno Fernandes left for Manchester United.
Thursday’s edition of A Bola brings Aston Villa right back into the picture. The Portuguese newspaper says Unai Emery’s side had a representative at the match against Manchester City and are ‘preparing an offer’ for Gonçalves.
According to the report, Aston Villa have been moving since May of this year and are now keen on a January transfer.
It’s explained that Aston Villa considered offering €40m at the end of last season but walked away when they realised Sporting were looking for a higher fee.
Now, Monchi has returned, and it’s stated the Birmingham club believe Sporting could now be more flexible in negotiations. A Bola give the reason for that as Amorim’s exit, with the manager always a key factor in trying to keep Gonçalves.
On top of that, it’s surely now time that the player is allowed an opportunity for a big move should he so desire.
