Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly interested in signing River Plate midfielder Enzo Fernandez this summer, according to Jornal de Noticias.
The lowdown: Rising star
A product of the youth system at the Buenos Aires club, Fernandez has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence in his homeland and is already an established member of the senior team.
Despite his tender years, the 21-year-old has already flourished in Argentina, having amassed 80 first-team outings across spells for his parent club and on loan at Defensa, directly contributing to 23 goals in the process.
Recently linked with a move to Manchester United, it now appears as though a switch to the Black Country could be on the cards for the cultured midfield ace...
The latest: Wolves 'very close' to Fernandez
As per Jornal de Noticias, Wolves are believed to be 'very close' to signing Fernandez this summer.
It's claimed that Benfica and AC Milan are also in contention but it's the Old Gold who have now emerged as the frontrunners for the Argentina under-20 starlet.
The report suggests that Wolves have sent a representative to South America to tie up a deal for the youngster, who was dubbed an 'orchestrator' by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, as Bruno Lage prepares for life after wantaway midfielder Ruben Neves at Molineux.
The verdict: Superb business
Completing a swoop for Fernandez this summer would be a sensational piece of business from Wolves' ownership group Fosun and Jeff Shi, particularly in the face of competition from some European giants.
The specialist playmaker has scored nine times and provided six assists in 24 appearances across all competitions so far this season. In the current Libertadores Cup campaign, he has earned an astonishing 7.77 Sofascore rating whilst winning five duels, completing one dribble and hitting the target with 1.8 of his shots per match.
Valued at £13.5m and under contract until 2025 (Transfermarkt), signing Fernandez for the mooted £17m release clause would be a wholly worthwhile outlay for Wolves and would see Lage supplement the squad at Molineux with a seemingly ready-made Neves successor.