Wolves have been linked with a new player who could possibly be seen as a replacement for a player Gary O’Neil greatly admires.
Wolves are heading into a big summer after finishing 14th in the Premier League and getting to an FA Cup quarter-final.
The goal for 2024/25 will be to build on that, and the potential is certainly there to do so.
But Gary O’Neil will need to be suitably backed by Fosun. Fans accept there will be one or two sales, but it is paramount that money is given to O’Neil to spend on new players.
Wolves suffered as a result of having a small squad in 2023/24, and the manager needs more options at his disposal for next season.
And it has now been reported that Wolves are interested in Farmalicao left-back Francisco Moura…
Wolves want to sign Francisco Moura, amid speculation about Rayan Ait-Nouri
It has been reported today by A Bola that Wolves are currently showing interest in Francisco Moura of Rayan Ait-Nouri.
Moura enjoyed a good season in 2023/24, making 36 appearances across all competitions. He scored two goals and made five assists.
Moura has only been with Farmalicao since the summer of 2022, when he joined from SC Braga initially on loan. He would turn the move permanent last summer.
Interest in Moura has become ‘increasingly strong’ recently, and A Bola state that Wolves are one of the ‘main candidates’ to sign him this summer.
It is expected that Moura would cost around £8.5 million. The Portugal youth international is under contract with Farmalicao until the summer of 2027.
The claim comes amid continued speculation about Rayan Ait-Nouri, who was recently said to be the Wolves player attracting the most attention. He’s reportedly coveted by Manchester City.
He could be a decent Ait-Nouri replacement
You will be hard-pressed to find a Wolves fan who wants Ait-Nouri to be sold this summer. The Algerian international was tremendous for Wolves in 2023/24, and really turned things around under O’Neil, who handed him 38 appearances across all competitions.
The manager is a big fan of the 22-year-old, and he’ll certainly not want to lose him this summer.
But big clubs could very well test Wolves’ resolve, and it’s not out of the question he could go.
But Moura could be a decent replacement for the star, having really impressed with Farmlicao recently. They finished a very respectable eighth place in 2023/24 and only two Farmalicao players finished with higher average ratings than Moura on WhoScored.
He seems to be someone with decent ball-carrying capability which is obviously a big strength of Ait-Nouri. But he also appears to have some steel about him, evidenced by the fact he has a higher percentage of dribblers tackled value than Ait-Nouri.