Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolverhampton Wanderers could have brought Benfica talisman Carlos Vinicius to the Premier League for just £15m.
Wolverhampton Wanderers missed out on the chance to sign Carlos Vinicius due to work permit problems, according to BleacherReport, with Benfica now hopeful of raising £90 million for the in-form Brazilian.
It will come as a surprise to no one anywhere to learn that Vinicius is a Jorge Mendes client.
Thanks to Wolves’ close relations with an Iberian super-agent, some of Europe’s most gifted footballers are now strutting their stuff in Old Gold with Mendes bringing Rui Patricio, Joao Moutinho, Ruben Neves and co to Molineux.
And Vinicius would have been providing some much-needed competition for Raul Jimenez in attack, if red tape had not stopped the deal from going through.
As luck would have it, the 25-year-old is now in the midst of the best season of his career, showing Wolves what they could have had. With 20 goals in 36 games in all competitions, Vinicius has Benfica in contention to retain the Primeira Liga title despite pressure from a rejuvenated Porto side.
The Eagles paid around £15 million to rescue the powerful frontman from a miserable spell at Monaco in 2019 and, according to Benfica president Luis Felipe Vieira, the Portuguese giants would now look for a fee closer to £90 million if some of Europe’s biggest and best come calling.
Talk about rubbing salt into the wounds. Wolves could have signed one of Europe’s most lethal goalscorers for as little as £15 million, and such an opportunity does not come around often.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
