Swansea City are ready to sign Moreirense midfielder Gonçalo Franco, 23, according to reports in his native Portugal, with the clubs expecting to make an official announcement soon.
According to Guimarães Digital, the player left Moreirense’s pre-season training camp yesterday after the two clubs reached a “platform of understanding” in recent days. Franco will now play in the Championship instead of the Portuguese top-flight.
The 23-year-old might become Swansea’s first acknowledged summer signing, with Eom Ji-Sung’s move from Gwangju yet to be officially revealed, despite widespread speculation that the South Korean international will join.
Luke Williams and his scouts have definitely looked into overseas markets this summer, and Franco appears to be the second Swansea player to sign from the Primeira Liga in recent months, following Ronald’s January move.
Gonçalo Franco appears to be a major coup for Swansea City. The 23-year-old had a breakout season in the Portuguese top division last season, helping Moreirense achieve promotion for the 2022/23 season.
Franco appeared in 33 of 34 Primeira Liga games last season, starting 32 of them, and helped his team finish sixth, just missing out on European competition.
Last season, the central midfielder had four assists and two goals, both of which came in the final two games. Franco was one of Rui Borges’ important players last season, as demonstrated by the amount of starts he made. Guimarães Digital, a Portuguese site, branded the Swansea-bound midfielder “one of Moreirense’s main assets.”
This bodes well for Swansea, and on paper, it appears to be a great piece of recruitment for a Championship team, with him potentially forming a dangerous midfield tandem with Matt Grime.
The former Portugal Under-20 international has only one year left on his contract with Moreirense, so any transaction should not break the bank for Swansea, and it appears to be a savvy bit of business from the club.
Swansea City hopes to emulate their success in the Portuguese market. Swansea’s summer transfer strategy is clear: discover hidden gems from foreign leagues, and they’ve already had some recent success in the Portuguese market, after Ronald’s January move from Primeira Liga club Estrela da Amadora. The 23-year-old Brazilian winger is raw, but there’s no doubt he’s a talented player and winning the Player of the Match award in Swansea’s South Wales Derby win against Cardiff back in March shows as much. Franco’s signing appears to be a real statement of intent from Swansea, and the 23-year-old has far more Primeira Liga experience than Ronald, having made 82 appearances in the Portuguese top-flight compared to the Brazilian winger’s 17. Given how impressed the Jack Army have been with Ronald, Franco could even be a level above, and should Swansea complete the deal with no late hiccups, the club look to have a real talented player on their hands.
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