West Ham United eye Sporting CP forward Pedro Goncalves as £25m+ bid rejected
West Ham and Aston Villa want to sign Sporting CP forward Pedro Goncalves after Bayer Leverkusen saw a £25.5million bid turned down, according to A Bola.
The Portuguese news outlet reported via its website on 16 March that Goncalves has a release clause of £68.4million, and Sporting would refuse to entertain bids under £35million.
The winger – who has two caps for Portugal – is on the radar of several clubs across Europe after recording nine goals and 10 assists in just 24 league games so far this season, as well as three goals and two assists in the Europa League.
Could West Ham sign Pedro Goncalves from Sporting?
Given his numbers in front of goal in terms of both goals and assists so far this season, it looks as if Goncalves would be an incredibly exciting arrival at the London Stadium.
However, the prominence of Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus in the front three would suggest a new creative forward isn’t necessarily needed, while the striker should be the priority for the transfer team.
The Hammers have been searching for a new number nine ever since Gianluca Scamacca’s departure in the summer transfer window, which left David Moyes with only Michail Antonio and Danny Ings to choose from at the London Stadium.
A striker was also reportedly their main target in January, with Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface linked with a £50million move.
Paqueta, meanwhile, has been heavily linked with a move away from the London Stadium this summer, so perhaps Goncalves could be a replacement for the Brazilian who has been touted for a £100million move away from East London.
In other West Ham news, Chris Sutton shared his verdict on the clash v Bayer Leverkusen.
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