Report: Spurs and Aston Villa both ready to push ahead in race for midfielder

The print edition of Record (24/05/23 as relayed by Sport Witness) has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur are now willing to step up their pursuit of Pedro Goncalves but face competition from Aston Villa for the Sporting Lisbon midfielder.

Pedro Goncalves has been one of the standout players in Portuguese football this season, having scored 20 goals and provided 14 assists across all competitions in 2022-23 (Trasnfermarkt).

Champions League
(Photo by Kristian Skeie – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

A Bola reported last month that Tottenham were eyeing a summer move for the versatile attacking midfielder, having been impressed by his display against Arsenal in the Europa League.

However, the publication revealed that Sporting were ‘calm’ about the situation despite Spurs’ interest since the player is protected by an €80m (£70.7m) release clause.

Record have now suggested that Tottenham could go head-to-head with Aston Villa for Goncalves, with both clubs now said to be ready to push ahead with a move for the Portugal international.

The report states that it is ‘known’ that both the Villans and Spurs are willing to ‘take a step ahead’ for the midfielder this summer.

However, it is explained that Goncalves’ former club Famalicao will be owed 50 per cent of the transfer fee that Sporting receive for the player, which is why Ruben Amorim’s side are expected to demand a big fee for their prized asset.

Spurs Web Opinion

I have no doubt that a big European club will poach Goncalves this summer but Sporting have proven to be a difficult club to negotiate with over recent years and I suspect Tottenham might be put off by the Portuguese club’s demands for the 24-year-old.

Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Related Topics

Have something to tell us about this article? Let us know