Palmeiras playmaker Raphael Veiga has played down reports suggesting that he is set to sign for Premier League outfit Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer transfer window.
If Nottingham Forest’s Gustavo Scarpa was named the best player in Brazilian football for 2022, then former Palmeiras team-mate Veiga will not have been too far behind.
Few midfielders anywhere on the planet would be able to match his tally of 21 goals last season, Veiga contributing a further seven assists as the Verdao enjoyed another prosperous season under Abel Ferreira.
But after losing both Scarpa and Danilo to Nottingham Forest during the January transfer window, speculation suggests that another Palmeiras prince could go the same way. Reports say that Fulham, Arsenal and Chelsea have all shown an interest in Veiga.
Former Brazil international Neto, meanwhile, claims to have heard that the 27-year-old will be strutting his stuff in Old Gold at some point in the near future.
“The information I have; Rafael Veiga will leave Palmeiras. He will be sold,” Neto told Donos da Bola a few weeks ago. “Rafael Veiga will leave Palmeiras. Wolves; He goes to this team.”
Is Raphael Veiga really signing for Wolves?
That, however, is news to the man himself.
“I think it’s funny,” Veiga retorts, breaking his silence on those Wolves links for the first time, via Bolavip. “Things come out about me on the internet and on television that I watch…
“I wonder if the people know more than I do. Will it be a surprise?”
Unless Leonardo di Caprio has some competition coming, it seems that the always-outspoken Neto may have been wide of the mark when he suggested that Veiga would be following Matheus Cunha, Joao Gomes, Pablo Sarabia and co to Molineux later this year.
Veiga, who was handed his first ever Brazil cap during the March international break, remains under contract until 2026. He recently picked up his ninth trophy in Palmeiras colours too.
“It’s hard to pinpoint a country,” Veiga says when asked about his future ambitions. “But there are some countries that, watching the games, fill my eyes; England and Spain. These are places I like to watch. It’s football that I follow the most.
“I would stick with these two countries.”
Veiga also admitted, when quizzed about his dream club, that he would love to represent Manchester City.
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