Aston Villa are reportedly giving consideration to making an approach for Sporting Lisbon star Pedro Goncalves.
The Portuguese giants have enjoyed a near-perfect start to the campaign in all competitions, only failing to prevail in a Champions League fixture against PSV Eindhoven.
However, it will soon be all change at Estadio Jose Alvalade with Ruben Amorin leaving his role as head coach to join Manchester United after this weekend's match at Braga.
Retaining as many of their key players in the short term will now be a priority for Sporting officials, it already clear that forward Viktor Gyokeres may be the subject of interest of many of European football's top clubs.
Villa are not in a position where they need Gyokeres, nor can they afford him, but it appears they remain admirers of one of his attacking teammates.
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Villa to move for Goncalves?
According to A Bola, Villa are ready to reignite their interest in Goncalves in 2025.
The report claims that the Premier League outfit had a scout present as Sporting thrashed Manchester City earlier this week.
Goncalves supplied the assist for Sporting's second goal immediately after the restart, a pivotal contribution that helped put the Primeira Liga leaders into a 2-1 advantage.
In total this season, the 26-year-old has chipped in with four goals and six assists in top flight and Champions League fixtures.
That is despite missing a number of games through injury, with Tuesday's encounter marking the first time since September 17 that he has completed 90 minutes for Sporting.
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Do Villa need a player like Goncalves?
Goncalves is no stranger to living in the West Midlands having spent time with Wolverhampton Wanderers between 2017 and 2019.
Since then, he has established himself as a Sporting legend, contributing an incredible 81 goals and 57 assists from just 189 appearances.
Villa were allegedly prepared to pay €40m for the player in the summer, only for Sporting to demand more, and it remains to be seen whether the hierarchy at the Portuguese hierarchy will soften their stance now that Amorim is departing the club.
That said, finding a place for Goncalves in Unai Emery's side may not be a simple task. The Spaniard generally plays 4-4-2, with Goncalves perhaps only being viewed as a potential number 10 behind Ollie Watkins or Jhon Duran.
As a result, Morgan Rogers, a player who has started every Premier League and Champions League fixture this season, would realistically be switched to the left flank on a permanent basis.
Darren Plant
