Farense are confident that Ryan Gauld is still contracted to them for next season despite him being thought to be set to be a free agent this summer, according to The Scottish Sun.

Gauld is someone that has been attracting plenty of transfer interest this summer thanks to his fine personal form with Farense in the Portuguese top-flight.

In total, he managed to weigh in with nine goals and seven assists, but that was not enough to help them survive the drop.

It was reported by teamTALK that Sheffield United are one of the sides that are interested in making a move for him this summer. While the likes of Swansea City, Benfica and Brentford were also credited with an interest in the attacking midfielder.

Reports had indicated that Sheffield United and Swansea could be set to face the frustration of missing out on him. That comes with MLS outfit Vancouver Whitecaps believed to have made him an offer worth around £41,000-a-week. It was believed that offer was being strongly considered by the 25-year-old.

However, now it seems that Farense are confident that the attacking midfielder is still under contract with the club for next season. That means that they would be expecting a transfer fee for him should he move on this summer.

According to The Scottish Sun, Gauld and his representatives dispute the fact that he is still contracted to Farense and believe that he is free to move to another club from next week.

The verdict

This is going to make any potential move for Gauld this summer a lot more complex than it would have been for Sheffield United and Swansea. However, it did seem already that the pair might have been beaten to his potential signature by Vancouver Whitecaps with them having come in with an appealing offer for the 25-year-old.

That though might all change if suddenly it turns out a fee is needed to be paid to Farense to secure his services for next season. Sheffield United and Swansea might therefore be able to use this confusion to their advantage and try and reignite a move for the attacking midfielder.

You would expect this uncertainty to be sorted out shortly with Gauld wanting to secure a move away from Farense. It remains to be seen whether Sheffield United or Swansea will come in with a concrete offer for him but this latest update suggests it would be a complicated deal to pull off.