Wolves have found second coming of £34m PSG star, can get him for £9m

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Wolves remain interested in Portugal U21 international Andre Almeida but the Premier League outfit are yet to meet Vitoria Guimaraes’ £9 million asking price, as reported by A Bola. 

With the ink still drying on Joao Moutinho’s contract – and with offers for Ruben Neves not exactly flooding in – the pressure to bring a new central midfielder to the Black Country has eased somewhat in recent weeks. 

But after turning their nose up at the opportunity to sign Joao Palhinha before his £18 million move to Fulham, the men from Molineux are still very much in the race for his 22-year-old compatriot.

According to the Express and Star, Bruno Lage has shifted his priority from a defensive midfielder to a more attack-minded one. And Almeida – confident, mobile, silky and a terrific ball-carrier – ticks a lot of boxes for a club with an excellent track record with regards to snapping up members of Portugal’s next generation. 

Almeida has more in common, stylistically-speaking, with Vitinha – the former Wolves loanee who joined PSG for £34 million this week – than Neves or Moutinho. He is nimble, quick-footed and can turn defence into attack with a burst of acceleration.

Is Andre Almeida Wolves’ Vitinha 2.0?

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been in talks with the 22-year-old since May. And while Vitoria are under pressure to sell, the Primeira Liga outfit won’t budge on their £9 million asking price. An asking price Wolves are yet to meet. 

“We have had some approaches for him,” president Antonio Miguel Cardoso tells O Jogo. “But the values mentioned are still far from what we understand to be the real value of the player.” 

Almeida has just one year remaining on his contract. And Vitoria cannot trigger an extension clause in the youngster’s deal; That would force the club to shatter their wage ceiling.  

What’s more, Almeida’s representative – Jorge Pires – has an excellent relationship with Jorge Mendes; The Portuguese super-agent who holds plenty of sway over Wolves’ recruitment policy. 

Portuguese champions FC Porto are also keen.