Report: PL rivals have made first move in race for Spurs-linked midfielder
According to A Bola, Aston Villa have now reached out to Sporting Lisbon regarding rumoured Tottenham target Pedro Goncalves to try and understand the conditions that would have to be met to sign the attacking midfielder.
Goncalves has been one of the standout players in Portuguese football this season, having scored 20 goals and provided 15 assists across all competitions in 2022-23 (Trasnfermarkt).
The print edition of Record (24/05/23 as relayed by Sport Witness) reported two weeks ago that Spurs and Aston Villa were set to go head to head for the versatile midfielder, who can also operate on either flank.
The report asserted that it is ‘known’ both the Premier League clubs are willing to ‘take a step ahead’ for the 24-year-old this summer.
Villa make the first move for Goncalves
If A Bola’s latest update is to be believed, it is the Villans who have now made the first move, with the report asserting that the Midlands club have had their eye on Goncalves since 2020.
The publication reveals that when Unai Emery’s men asked Sporting about the fee it would take to sign the midfielder, the Portuguese side informed the Premier League club that they would have to meet the player’s €80m (£70.7m) release clause.
This is because the Lisbon giants owe Goncalves’ former club, Famalicao, 50 per cent of any fee they receive for the Portugal international.
Spurs Web Opinion
Goncalves is arguably the most impressive of the list of attacking midfielders that Tottenham have been linked with over recent weeks, including the likes of James Maddison and Daichi Kamada.
However, the 24-year-old also seems like the most expensive out of the bunch and Sporting are certainly not easy to negotiate with as Spurs found out during the Pedro Porro talks.
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