Manchester United could sign Sporting Lisbon star Pedro Goncalves in the upcoming transfer window to replace Bruno Fernandes.
What's the backstory?
According to the Daily Star, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side is keen to sign the highly-rated 22-year-old this summer as United look to mount a title challenge next season.
According to the report, Goncalves' current contract includes a £52 million release clause, but Sporting are desperate to tie him down to a new deal that includes a higher release fee.
Fernandes comes next.
It's been less than 18 months since United raided Sporting for Fernandes, but the Red Devils could be on the lookout for another of Sporting's highly-rated attacking midfielders.
Goncalves had a fantastic season for Ruben Amorim's men in 2020/21, scoring 23 goals and assisting four times in 32 league appearances as the capital club won their first top-flight title in 19 years.
His impressive performances have piqued the interest of some of the continent's most powerful clubs, with fellow Premier League giants Liverpool also reportedly interested in signing the youngster.
The former Portugal Under-21 international has played in England before, having been a member of the Wolves academy from 2017 to 2019.
Despite only making one senior appearance for the Midlands club, Goncalves caught the eye of Under-23 boss Rob Edwards, who jumped to the creative talent's defence after a horrendous miss during a Premier League Cup victory over Oxford United.
“Players must pick themselves up after blowing such opportunities. I told him that the next time he had that opportunity, he should put it in the back of the net. He's been outstanding for us this year; he's a really good player, and no one wants to pass up an opportunity,” Edwards explained.
United will be desperate to strengthen over the summer after failing to win any silverware in the previous season and finishing a dozen points behind table-toppers Manchester City.
The signings of Donny van de Beek and Alex Telles a year ago failed to propel the 20-time English champions back into title contention; however, the £19.8m-rated maestro could do just that.
No comments:
Post a Comment