Wolves' £17m transfer target 'in London' to finalise deal with PL rivals as brutal hijack set to be completed
Wolves look set to watch one of their prime targets move to a Premier League rival
Crystal Palace are on the verge of completing a deadline day hijack to sign Getafe striker Christantus Uche ahead of Wolves on transfer deadline day.
Palace have been one of the quieter teams throughout the summer transfer window after a prolonged and ultimately unsuccessful legal battle over which European competition they’d compete in. However, in recent weeks they’ve exploded into life with the signing of Villarreal winger Yeremy Pino as a direct replacement for club legend Eberechi Eze while it also seems that they are going to get 22-year-old Uche through the door to provide squad depth in this season’s European campaign, albeit in the Conference League as opposed to Europa.
News of the transfer comes as a huge blow to Wolves boss Vitor Pereira, with the Old Gold seemingly being in pole position to sign the striker in mid-August.
Christantus Uche close to joining Crystal Palace
Fabrizio Romano reports that Christantus Uche has arrived in London to complete his transfer to Crystal Palace. It’s believed to be a deal worth somewhere in the region of 20 million euros, around (£17.3m), according to reports from Fichajes. Although at this stage, Sky Sports and Romano have not yet disclosed the exact figure.
Uche is expected to provide competition in attack for the likes of Jean Philippe Mateta and Eddie Nketiah and is expected to compete in a European competition for the first time in his career. The two-time Nigerian international has scored one goal and made one assist in his opening three matches this season. Prior to that, in his only full season at Getafe, he managed four goals and seven assists from 38 matches across all competitions.
Why Wolves failed to sign Christantus Uche
As revealed by our sister publication, the Express & Star, Wolves were closing in on Christantus Uche after agreeing a €20 million (£17.2m) deal with Getafe. However, that move failed to materialise because the player himself didn’t want the move. Diario AS reporter Eduardo Burgos explained Wolves and Getafe had “signed all the documents” but Uche was “blocking the transfer” as he did not like the way that negotiations had been handled.
Uche had previously been linked with newly-promoted Premier League side Leeds United while it’s also claimed Italian side AC Milan had been monitoring the youngster. The 22-year-old can play in various positions across the front line, including a striker and one the wing as well as featuring at times in a deeper No.10 role due to his eye for a pass and ability to create chances for those around him.
Uche has enjoyed a monumental rise in the past few seasons, climbing from playing amateur football in his home nation just three years ago to potentially being on the verge of a move to the Premier League. He starred in both the fifth and third tier of Spanish football before earning his move to Getafe for around 500 thousand euros last summer, and now looks to be sold for an exponential profit.