Wolves already ‘have an agreement’ to sign Celtic target - and the transfer will help Man City

Latest transfer news as Wolverhampton Wanderers look set to sign a Celtic target from a Manchester City-owned club.
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Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly reached an agreement to sign Brazilian midfielder Vinicius Souza in the summer. The 23-year-old, who was heavily linked with Scottish Premiership side Celtic last year, has been a regular starter for La Liga outfit Espanyol this season.

Souza is contracted permanently to Belgian team Lommel SK having signed from Flamengo in 2020, but he was sent to Spain to develop further. With 21 appearances to his name, the defensive-minded ace has certainly done just that and now he is of top interest to Wolves, according to a report.

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Mundo Deportivo claims Wanderers “would already have an agreement” in place to sign Souza in the summer, adding to a wealth of midfield options already at Molineux. The report details Manchester City, whose owners also run Lommel SK as part of the City Football Group, would be willing to let the Brazilian head to Wolves.

Espanyol are said to have “fought to include a purchase option” in their Souza loan deal, however, this was swiftly rejected last summer. This has left the door wide open for Julen Lopetegui to swoop in and add some squad depth. It would likely take a fairly big fee to bring him to the West Midlands, though, as Souza has really impressed this term.

Without any goals or assists to his name, he has gone somewhat under the radar for Espanyol but his dirty work cannot go underappreciated. Souza leads the charts in La Liga and is third in Europe’s top five leagues for tackles per game, with 3.9, and his heat map charts display a remarkable box-to-box work rate.

If Wolves were to complete a transfer move for Souza, it would benefit City as they would indirectly make a profit on the player. Signed for €2.5 million (£2.2 million) just over two years ago, it is likely he would go for a far higher figure now. This could well be one to watch over the coming weeks and months.

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