Wolves may need to sign a replacement for Rayan Ait-Nouri this summer
Although Wolverhampton Wanderers could have to let go of players this summer in order to make room for new arrivals, it appears that Gary O’Neil has a number of targets in line to transfer to Molineux.
According to A Bola, Wolves are showing interest in left-back Francisco Moura ahead of the summer transfer window.
If O’Neil is willing to bring the defender to the Midlands, signing Moura will only cost him about €10 million (£8.5 million).
O’Neil is aware that his budget will depend on his ability to raise money through player sales.
At just 24 years old, Moura still has a few years to go before he reaches his prime, so this deal won’t break the bank and O’Neil may be an intriguing addition.
Rayan Ait-Nouri, the first choice left back at the Old Gold, is attracting plenty of attention due to his performances throughout the 2023/24 campaign, most notably from Manchester City.
Undoubtedly, the team may earn a substantial sum of money from the 22-year-old if he leaves Molineux after four years, allowing O’Neil to focus on Moura as a direct replacement.
Why Francisco Moura is a perfect substitute for Ait-Nouri Ait-Nouri became one of O’Neil’s most dependable players last season, missing just five Premier League games.
Being deployed on the left side of a four-man midfield on a regular basis, he even contributed two goals and one assist, demonstrating his forward potential.
The possibility of championships and Champions League action may be too enticing an offer to refuse, and Moura may end up joining the Old Gold as City pursues the defender in an attempt to lure him to the Etihad.
The 24-year-old initially transferred on loan from SC Braga to his current club, Famalicao, in the summer of 2022.
He then joined on a permanent basis the following summer.
He has already made 73 appearances in his two seasons with the team, recording four goals and grabbing nine assists, demonstrating his passion of breaking forward from defense.
To put things in perspective, Hwang Hee-chan’s four assists from last season were even more than his three total from all competitions.
During his tenure at Braga in 2021, Breaking the Lines creator Zach Lowy praised Moura as “exciting” alongside Yan Couto.
Playing 33 games in the Portuguese top division the previous season, Moura averaged 2.3 crucial passes per game, created eight great opportunities, and succeeded with 71% of his dribbles, demonstrating his outstanding progression into the final third of the field.
Defensively, the 24-year-old won 55% of his total duels per game, was dribbled past only 0.4 times per match while making 1.7 tackles each outing, demonstrating his abilities when he didn’t have the ball.
O’Neil would be well advised to sign Moura, particularly as it appears increasingly likely that Ait-Nouri will be lost.
For a mere £8.5 million, the Old Gold can get a player who has demonstrated his skills in one of Europe’s top divisions and has the potential to advance even further by joining the Premier League.
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