An update has emerged on Aston Villa and their interest in Pedro Goncalves ahead of the summer transfer window…
What’s the latest on Pedro Goncalves to Aston Villa?
According to the print edition of Record, via Sport Witness, the Villans have been sending scouts to watch the Sporting dynamo in action and will do so again for their Europa League tie with Arsenal on Thursday.
The report claims that the club sent people to watch the midfielder play against Portimonense in the Portuguese top-flight last weekend, in which he assisted the winning goal, with Johan Lange gathering intel on the gem.
It has been claimed that the 24-year-old has an €80m (£71m) release clause but it remains to be seen how much Villa are willing to spend to sign the talent.
Would Goncalves be a good signing for Aston Villa?
Lange could land Unai Emery an upgrade on his options in the attacking midfield position by securing a deal to sign the Sporting star this summer.
Coutinho has endured a difficult season in the Premier League and is heading into the final years of his peak – turning 31 at the end of the campaign.
The Brazil international has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.66 across 20 appearances in the top flight and has produced one goal and 0.4 chances created per match, with zero assists to his name.
Goncalves, meanwhile, has averaged a score of 7.53 across 22 outings in Liga Portugal. In that time, the marksman has delivered 12 goals and six assists, whilst creating ten ‘big chances’ and making 2.2 key passes per game for his side.
These statistics suggest that if the 24-year-old can adapt to English football, he would be a significant upgrade on what the Brazilian is currently offering to Aston Villa at the top end of the pitch, both in terms of his goalscoring prowess and his creativity from an attacking midfield position.
The Portugal international, who Wolves coach Rob Edwards once hailed as “outstanding”, has also made 2.8 tackles and interceptions per match, compared to Coutinho’s 1.1, with that an indication of how much the Sporting ace would provide from a defensive perspective, as well as the quality he would offer in the final third.
Therefore, Lange must swoop for Goncalves in the summer transfer window as the young talent could be an excellent signing for the club and a player Emery could develop further, with the magician still having plenty of time on his hands to grow and improve at the age of 24.