GREGORY COOL ON JOAO PINTO TALK
After landing Belgian star Luc Nilis under the Bosman Ruling, Gregory is rumoured to be assessing the possibility of bringing Joao Pinto to Villa Park, following his reported `sacking` from Benfica.
However, Gregory told the official Villa website on Friday afternoon: "When we don`t sign Joao Pinto, or he goes somewhere else, I then have to explain why we didn`t sign him."
Portuguese sources claim that Villa have made an offer which exceeds that of the other interested clubs, including Fiorentina, while Sporting Lisbon have made the lowest official approach (around £935,000 per season), despite the 28-year-old expressing some interest in remaining in the capital of his homeland.
Joao Pinto, who scored a sublime diving header in the Euro 2000 victory against England, is also still being linked with Chelsea, but managing director Colin Hutchinson revealed that the Londoners will not be taking up their option of signing the former Boavista and Atletico Madrid man, and it seems as though his name is being touted around a number of clubs.
Newcastle were also credited with an initial interest in the player, but Villa were said to be leading the hunt with an alleged four year offer for him, reportedly worth around £1.8 million per season, and negotiations were tipped to continue with his agent Jose Veiga. Fiorentina`s offer is said to be approximately £300,000 less per year.
After discussing his future with his wife and family, Joao Pinto will weigh up his options and make a decision on where he will be playing his football next season.
He will be hoping to send Turkey spinning out of Euro 2000 in Amsterdam on Saturday, with Portugal feeling confident that they will never have a better time to finally fulfill their massive potential.
