Liverpool are looking at Pedro Gonsalves as a potential replacement for Mohamed Salah, but his ‘home’ club Sporting are prioritizing his stay.
The Portuguese striker is a class act. He’s not the most physically gifted player at 5-foot-11, but he’s versatile enough to play as a left winger, attacking midfielder, central midfielder, and defensive midfielder. He is good at playmaking and has a good direct finishing ability. He also has the ability to break away and dribble, and creates chances with his forward passes.
He came up through the Wolverhampton Wanderers youth ranks before moving to Portuguese side Pamalicao in the 2019-20 season. In 40 appearances that season, including cup competitions, he scored seven goals and provided eight assists, developing into a quality attacker in the league before moving to ‘prestigious’ Sporting ahead of the 2020-21 season.
He quickly established himself. In 2020-21, his first year with the club, he led the team’s offense with 23 goals in the league alone and became the top scorer in the professional ranks for the first time in his career. He continued to perform well in subsequent seasons. In 2021-22, his scoring numbers dropped significantly, but he stepped up his game as a helper and recorded double-digit assists for the first time in his career. In 2022-23, he proved that he can play on the big stage as well, going 10-10 in the league and scoring three goals and one assist in six games in the UEFA Europa League (UEL). This season, he has remained solid as he has moved between central midfield and left flank winger, scoring one goal in four league games.
This has made him a target for Liverpool. According to Portuguese outlet O Jogo, the Reds are interested in signing Goncalves. According to the publication, the buyout is said to be €80 million. 안전놀이터
The Reds see Goncalves as a potential replacement for Salah. Salah was heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia this summer. While the move did not materialize, the Saudis have not given up and are continuing to pursue the player. From Liverpool’s perspective, they need to prepare for Salah’s departure.
However, Sporting don’t want to sell Goncalves. “Sporting have always wanted to keep Goncalves, even last summer when rumors of a move surfaced, but negotiations didn’t go anywhere,” said European football transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano. Goncalves is certainly a resource to watch for the next few years. However, nothing has been decided yet regarding a transfer.”