Meet the man both United and City failed to land this summer
Published:Manchester United missing out on transfer targets since the end of Sir Alex Ferguson’s managerial tenure is nothing new. But it’s been revealed that not even their arch rivals could beat them to the signature of one man this summer.
Both United and Manchester City reportedly lodged £14m bids for Benfica’s young midfielder Andre Gomes during the silly season, only for those offers to be rejected as the player moved to Valencia on loan instead.
Having made just 14 Premeira Liga appearances for Benfica and one for Portugal there is understandably little known about the Grijo native. Until now.
Signed by Porto as a youth player in 2005, Gomes stayed with the Portuguese giants for three years before moving on. He failed to settle at two further clubs before landing with As Aguias in 2011.
The following year Gomes broke into the club’s B team and his performances in that side helped earn him a senior debut during the 2012/13 campaign.
A regular part of Jorge Jesus’ Europa League side that reached last year’s final, the 21-year-old has made the majority of his 40 all-competition appearances for Benfica in the cups.
His economic rights were purchased by new Valencia owner Peter Lim in January and the Singaporean tycoon then engineered the player’s loan deal to the La Liga outfit this summer.
Gomes has started both of Los Che’s opening two league matches this season, but could be the subject of renewed bids from both the Red Devils and Citizens should he impress on the Mediterranean coast.
As both club’s have experienced with Carlos Tevez, though, acquiring the signature of a player owned by a third party can be both expensive and problematic and it’d surely take a phenomenal season from the player to coax either club into another bid.
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