Price goes up after €20m Aston Villa approach – Player now impressing

Aston Villa will now need at least €30m if they wish to sign Geny Catamo from Sporting Club de Portugal, after seeing a €20m bid already fail.

A Bola report that Sporting have put the price up on the 25-year-old winger as he’s now impressing everyone at the club.

The newspaper explain that Geny Catamo’s excellent season with the Portuguese side has led them to reevaluate their position.

Sporting’s change of heart

Catamo is currently one of the team’s in form players, a key player at that, and has suitors on the transfer market.

Sporting had previously admitted that they would sell him but are now more inclined to keep him around. So much so, they are now raising the bar regarding price.

Last summer, Aston Villa and Fenerbahce both made moves for the 25-year-old. They were both valued at around €20m, but that was not enough. This summer it will take €20-30m to secure the Mozambican international’s signature. The barrier is very much at the higher end of that.

Sporting’s management have changed their mind. Despite previously telling Aston Villa and other that they’d sell. Now Catamo is seen as a fundamental asset for manager Rui Borges.

New contract

Catamo’s tally of eight goals a four assists in 41 games, 33 as a starter, have helped convince the Portuguese club that they might have been acting hastily. They’ve already moved to add another year to Catamo’s deal until 2029.

That is another sign that they’ve changed their mind about a sale. The winger has gone from a sellable asset to a key player and now they want more money.

Whether that puts off Aston Villa, remains to be seen. They were keen at €20m and ready to spend, but another €10m may just be enough to force them to look elsewhere. That’s certainly what Sporting seem to be hoping will happen anyway.