New England general manager Michael Burns has confirmed the club is in talks to sign FC Sion defender José Gonçalves.
The former Portugal under-21 international, 27, emerged as a potential target for the Revs several months ago and linked up with the club for a training spell before the club departed for the winter. Gonçalves apparently showed well enough during that stint to prompt the Revs to pursue a move.
“He's a player that we had in for a training period a couple of months ago,” Burns told MLSsoccer by phone on Friday morning. “He's a player we're in discussions with at the moment to see if we can work something out with his current club.”
Gonçalves' current status as a fringe player for Sion (six total appearances in league play since joining the club in 2011) may provide additional incentive to reach an agreement. Any deal would have to officially occur after the primary MLS transfer window opens in January because Gonçalves is currently under contract.
No such restrictions, though, bar Burns and the Revs from striking a deal with Re-Entry Process selections Chad Barrett (above) and Hunter Freeman.
Burns said the Revs have extended the required genuine offers to both players as mandated by the terms of the process. Although neither player has signed as of yet, Burns said he is hopeful Barrett and Freeman will agree to terms and join the club for the 2013 season.
“With both Chad and Hunter, offers have been extended to both players,” Burns said. “We're hopeful that both will decide to stay in MLS and play for us.”
