Aston Villa retain an interest in Pedro Goncalves after cooling their pursuit in the summer, as Sporting CP are eager to renew his terms at the club.

According to A Bola via Sport Witness, Aston Villa have revived their chase of Pedro Goncalves and could move ahead of the January window. The Portuguese winger has been in a sublime vein of form in the new season, with Sporting CP eager to offer him a new deal to prolong his stay and retain his value.

Pedro Goncalves has been a decent performer for Sporting CP in their two league-winning seasons, with his contribution of six goals and as many assists last season considered good enough. However, the winger has more than halved his output from last season in a fraction of games, which has some teams already taking a look at him ahead of the January window.

The foremost among those interested parties are Aston Villa, who were keen earlier in the summer. Monchi was eager to bring the winger to Villa Park, but they cooled their interest following an injury to the long-term target from Portugal in May.

However, with Goncalves lighting up the league in Portugal this season, Aston Villa are once again in the mix. They are willing to make an approach to test the waters with Sporting CP, as Unai Emery is eager to bolster his attacking options in anticipation of a top-four fight and progressing in their Europa League campaign.

Other teams were looking at Goncalves during the summer, with Bayer Leverkusen seeing a €30 million offer rejected by Sporting CP. Aston Villa might have to make a considerable bid, although they are also in the mix for alternatives such as Sevilla’s Ruben Vargas as an option for the wide areas.

Sporting CP eager to extend Pedro Goncalves’ contract

Sporting CP are not keen to sell the winger, at least not on the cheap, as they are already in talks with the attacker’s camp to extend his stay until 2030 with a pay rise. The Portuguese side are willing to keep his €80 million intact, but a new deal would exponentially increase their chances of getting a fee closer to that clause.

As per the report, the player’s camp have given a positive response to the reported contract offer from Sporting CP, with the club ready to announce the same at the earliest. The renewal may not be a blow for Aston Villa, who may then have to pay a higher fee than they were prepared for, which will truly test their seriousness about the 27-year-old Portuguese winger.