Wolves transfer target Andre Almeida in action for Vitoria Guimaraes
Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in signing Vitoria Guimaraes midfielder Andre Almeida, according to Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Notícias (via Sport Witness).
The lowdown: Career so far
Almeida has graduated through the youth system at Guimaraes and has now become an established part of the first team at the Primeira Liga outfit.
The 22-year-old Portugal youth international has amassed 84 first-team outings to add to 22 appearances for the B team, and like many among the Wolves ranks, he is represented by an agent from the nation in the shape of Jorge Pires.
Already linked with a move to Molineux this summer, it has now been claimed that Almeida could be heading to the Black Country in the near future…
The latest: ‘Inevitable’ exit
As per Jornal de Noticias, transcribed by Sport Witness, Wolves are believed to be keen on signing the Portugal under-21 starlet.
It’s claimed that Almeida – who is into the final 12 months of his contract (Transfermarkt) – is ‘getting closer and closer to leaving’ Guimaraes amidst interest from Bruno Lage’s side.
The report added that a ‘farewell seems inevitable’ during the ongoing transfer window as the Old Gold step up their admiration for the youngster, who has a €50m (£42.3m) release clause in his current deal.
The verdict: No brainer
Whilst the penchant for bringing talented Portuguese players to Molineux needs no explanation, this is an opportunity that Jeff Shi and Lage should be pursuing with great vigour.
Last season, the technically gifted attacking midfielder earned a 6.78 Sofascore rating whilst winning five duels, completing 20.9 passes and taking 36.4 touches per game in the Portuguese top-flight. He posted a higher duel success average than Ruben Neves’ 3.8 and Leander Dendocker’s 2.8 in the Premier League.
With speculation continuing to link Neves with a move away from the Midlands in recent weeks, and Almeida predominantly operating as a box-to-box central midfielder, this could be considered a like-for-like replacement in Lage’s ranks.
Valued at just £4.5m and with a dwindling contract (Transfermarkt), Almeida would likely be available for a cut-price fee at this juncture and should be regarded as a top target for the Molineux hierarchy.
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