Aston Villa want to sign Sporting CP winger Pedro Goncalves this summer but could be put off by his huge price tag.
A report from Portuguese outlet A Bola has provided more details on their pursuit of the 25-year-old.
Aston Villa have already made two very astute signings this summer.
The free transfer of Youri Tielemans from Leicester City makes a lot of financial sense and should add some much-needed depth as they enter the Conference League.
They’ve also signed centre-back Pau Torres who has worked closely with Unai Emery before.
Aston Villa will want to add some extra attacking firepower to their squad this summer.
Moussa Diaby and Jeremy Doku have been identified as two potential signings in this window.
Villa also want Pedro Goncalves as they keep their options open at this stage of negotiations.
Goncalves is an impressive left-winger, capable of scoring buckets of goals and laying on chances for his teammates.
He scored 15 league goals last season and provided 11 assists in an underperforming Sporting side.
It’s not even the best scoring season of his career, as he once scored 23 league goals in one campaign in Portugal.
Villa want to sign Goncalves
The report from A Bola suggests that Aston Villa and Inter Milan are both keen on Goncalves.
They’ve made a £34m bid, but Sporting are holding out for a club to match his £68m release clause.
This would make Goncalves Villa’s most expensive signing of all time by quite some distance.
Goncalves isn’t against staying at Sporting but wants to be the highest-paid player at the club.
If Villa can find an acceptable fee for Goncalves, they should be able to negotiate a contract that Sporting are unlikely to match.
The 25-year-old would be a brilliant signing for Unai Emery and has been ready to make the step up to a top league for some time.
If Villa really want Goncalves, they’ll need to increase their current offer but will hope they don’t need to match his extortionate release clause.
