According to HITC Sport, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest are both interested in signing Porto winger Galeno as a replacement for Chelsea-bound Pedro Neto.
Chelsea struck a £54 million deal with Wolves for Neto yesterday, and the player’s medical is set ahead of the big move. Despite ongoing injury concerns, the Portugal international has been one of the West Midlands club’s most significant players in recent seasons, scoring twice and assisting nine times in just 18 Premier League appearances last season.
As a result of his importance to Gary O’Neil’s club, the wide forward will need to be replaced quickly, as the league season begins in a week. According to HITC Sport, Galeno, who has a £51 million release clause, has been identified as a potential successor to Neto, with conversations underway with Porto over the deal.
Wolves Eye Galeno to Replace Neto
They’ll face competition from Forest
Galeno made his first move to Europe in 2016 at the age of 18, joining Porto, where he failed to break into the first squad. After being traded to Braga, the Brazilian established himself in the Primeira Liga, scoring 24 goals in 115 games for the Northern Portuguese club.
This earned him a return to Porto in a €9 million trade, where he has since evolved into a fearsome winger. The 24-year-old has scored 31 goals in his previous two seasons for the 2004 Champions League winners and is now garnering interest from the Premier League, having been dubbed as ‘outrageous’ by TNT Sport last season after his winning goal against Arsenal in the knockout stage.
Wolves are looking for an explosive wideman with goal-scoring potential, and Galeno has been identified as a candidate. According to HITC Sport, the Midlanders will compete with Forest for the Portuguese citizen.
The Nottingham club had a deal in place for CA Talleres’ Ramon Sosa, but the £16 million transfer has fallen through, therefore Nuno Espirito Santo has moved his attention to Galeno. The winger signed a new contract at the Estadio de Dragao in January, which contained a £51 million release clause.
It remains to be seen whether either English side will muster the funds to trigger this clause, with both expected to negotiate in the hopes of winning a contract at a lesser cost. However, Wolves anticipate to be rich with cash in the coming days after Neto’s move to Stamford Bridge is completed, making them more likely to fulfill the £51 million price tag.
