Aston Villa continues to pursue its goal of strengthening its squad with world-class talent, and one of the names still on their radar is Sporting Lisbon playmaker Pedro Gonçalves. Despite failing to sign him last summer, the West Midlands club has not given up on the possibility of adding the talented Portuguese midfielder.
Following a successful transfer window that saw the arrival of the likes of Pau Torres, Clement Lenglet, Youri Tielemans and Moussa Diaby, Aston Villa have shown clear ambitions to advance into the Premier League’s top six. However, to stay within Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, several academy graduates had to be sold.
The star that Emery wants for Aston Villa’s midfield
According to reports from O Jogo, interest in Pedro Gonçalves persists at Villa. In the previous summer, Sporting Lisbon remained firm in their stance on not releasing the player for less than his €80m (£68.8m) release clause. With an outstanding season under his belt, in which he contributed 15 goals and 12 assists in 33 Primeira Liga games during 2022-23, Sporting appears to back his position.
Despite this, Aston Villa remain admirers of the 25-year-old. Although Gonçalves recently renewed his contract, indicating his commitment to Sporting, rumors suggest that other Premier League clubs, such as Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Newcastle United, are also interested in his services.
The question that remains in the air is whether Aston Villa will finally manage to sign Pedro Gonçalves in 2024. The competition is fierce, and the transfer market always holds surprises. Villa fans will be keeping an eye on developments in the upcoming transfer windows as their club continues to pursue the acquisition of this talented Portuguese midfielder.
