Wolverhampton Wanderers‘ deal for Joao Gomes is not as straightforward as it had appeared last week but it seems as if the Old Gold are still confident of making him their fourth addition of the January transfer window.
What’s the word?
Recent reports had claimed that Lyon were in negotiations with Flamengo for the 21-year-old as they attempted to hijack Wolves’ deal for the Brazilian.
Wolves have already seen a £15m bid accepted by Flamengo and it is suggested that he is keen on a move to the Premier League rather than Ligue 1.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, transfer insider Dean Jones provided the latest on Wolves’ hopes of signing the midfield maestro.
He said:
“I think they are still quite confident because they’ve done their groundwork on it.
“I think they’ve put themselves in a reasonable position, so we’ll have to wait and see how the next 24 hours or so goes and whether they decide to search elsewhere.”
Bye-bye Nunes?
Wolves boss Julen Loeptegui has already added Matheus Cunha, Pablo Sarabia and Mario Lemina in the January transfer window and the arrival of Gomes could see Wolves become overstocked in midfield.
The 21-year-old would undoubtedly arrive as a first-team player at Molineux given his impressive experience with Flamengo, for whom he has made 117 appearances.
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig was full of praise for Gomes’ potential back in 2021, writing:
“João Gomes is such a unique player. Fantastic mix of midfield destroyer, deep-lying playmaker and box-to-box midfielder. Tireless runner, amazing work rate and tenacity mixed with really good technique and playmaking skills. He always gives 100% on the pitch. Warrior.”
Therefore, with so many midfield options to choose from, Lopetegui may well be forced to cash in on club-record signing Matheus Nunes, who has attracted serious interest from Liverpool recently despite his struggles since joining from Sporting Lisbon.
The Portuguese midfielder has no goals and just one assist in 16 Premier League appearances, averaging a disappointing 6.50 rating from WhoScored, as he has failed to live up to his £38m fee.
The prospect of selling him to Liverpool and bringing in a younger, potentially more exciting prospect in Gomes as his replacement could prove to be very good business by Wolves, so fans will surely be glad to hear that the Old Gold are still confident of doing a deal this month.
