Real Madrid believe they will beat Manchester City and Inter Milan to the signature of Valencia and midfielder Andre Gomes. The Spanish giants are willing to pay €60million for the 22-year-old, who was part of Portugal’s European Championship winning side in France, according to Marca.
Even if Florentino Perez and the rest of the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu hierarchy are eventually convinced by the medical feedback, there will still be a long wait to go to securing Gomes’ signature, especially since Valencia want €65 million – a price tag which is so high because 25% of any profits would go to his previous club Benfica.That is a price that Los Blancos won’t reach and would try to negotiate down.
Gomes would be Zidane’s first signing of the summer, excluding the recapture of Alvaro Morata from Juventus, and would boost a central midfield area already containing Toni Kroos, Modric and Casemiro. The honing in on Gomes comes with Zidane’s comments that his squad will be difficult to improve, cooling rumours that Real could rival Manchester United for Paul Pogba’s signature.
Gomes played 30 times for Valencia last season, scoring three goals and also creating three as his side limped to a disappointing 12th-placed finish. In terms of his character, the feedback is also positive as the midfielder is, by all accounts, a team player. He has been praised for his teamwork, even when he is not in the starting line-up; as was demonstrated at Euro 2016 when he helped the starters as much as he could from the sidelines in the matches he did not play.
They have not yet received a complete medical report and will not act until they better understand the repeated hamstring injuries suffered last season and at Euro 2016.Yet Gomes’ agent Jorge Mendes, who is aware of Real Madrid’s interest, is convinced that he can clear up any medical uncertainties.