The ‘mobile and quick’ Yuri Alberto could be on his way to Wolves with the Premier League outfit told they are right to take ‘a punt’ on the £18 million Brazil international.
Considering that Yuri Alberto is not exactly a household name in the Black Country – well, not yet anyway – one suspects there will have been quite the spike of interest in his Wikipedia page this afternoon.
But while Alberto’s previous, and very short-lived spell, in European football might lead to a bit of hand-wringing, those concerns are more than a little unfounded.
HITC Football understands that Wolverhampton Wanderers have opened talks to sign the Corinthians striker, having made their approach over the weekend.
Wolves in talks to sign Yuri Alberto
“I think he’s interesting,” Tim Vickery, an expert in all things South American football, tells talkSPORT (31 January, 3pm). “He has had a little spell in Europe already with Zenit. It wasn’t very long but he did well. The only reason he came back was the war.”
Had that invasion of Ukraine not curtailed his time in Russian football, Alberto might have moved out of Wolves’ reach a while ago. Financially-speaking, at least.
HITC Football has been told that Corinthians – who offered Alberto a route back to Brazil – may be willing to accept a potential bargain fee of £18 million these days, the jet-heeled 22-year-old maybe on his way back across the Atlantic after Wolves opened a dialogue over a loan-to-buy deal.
Wolves have turned their attention to the one-time West Ham United target after seeing a bid rejected by Chelsea for Armando Broja earlier in the week. Broja will reportedly cost around three-times the amount Gary O’Neil’s side could end up investing in Alberto.
“He is a mobile striker. Quick, good on the shoulder of the last defender,” Vickery adds. “He’s been a little but up and down in his career but he’s got pace, mobility and he’s worth a shot. He is interesting.
“It had been reported he was going to go to The States so this is all happening very, very last minute. We will see if Wolves can pull this off. But it’s worth a punt.”
Former West Ham target could finally move to England
Alberto will arrive having scored 15 goals for Corinthians in 2023. He will be hoping to stick around in England for a bit longer than he did in Russia too, though securing a spot in O’Neil’s starting XI may be easier said than done due to the excellent recent form of Hwang Hee-Chan and Matheus Cunha.
HITC also understands that Wolves have agreed a deal with PSG to sign Noha Lemina, the younger brother of Molineux midfielder Mario.
“That one is very close and we’re hopeful it will be done,” O’Neil says of Lemina.
“He’s an exciting young talent. Maybe he’s not expected to impact the first team group instantly. But that doesn’t mean that he won’t because he has some fantastic attributes.
“He’s powerful, fast, and a good lad who is willing to work hard. He has Mario here to help him settle as well.
“It’s a good one for the club as he has potential to progress into an extremely talented player. Who know? If he’s able to settle in quickly, we may be able to see him around some first-team games.
“It can be difficult to move from a different country. To a Premier League club when you don’t know anybody. So having Mario will definitely help him.
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