Wolves Set to Sign Portuguese Wonderkid Fabio Silva for Club Record Fee
By Max Cooper
Wolverhampton Wanderers are set to complete the signing of Porto wonderkid Fabio Silva for a club record fee of £35m.
The 18-year-old is one of the hottest attacking prospects on the current market and has caught the eye with his performances at youth level and for Portugal's Under-19 side, scoring three goals in five appearances.
Wolves have evidently seen enough of his quality and decided to add another talented Portuguese starlet to their squad, as Tim Spiers of The Athletic has revealed Silva's arrival will be announced later on Saturday afternoon.
The forward has already received valuable game time at the highest level, making 12 appearances in Liga NOS for Porto last season, scoring in a 3-0 victory over Famalicao. At 18 years of age, Silva still has plenty of opportunities to develop his talents, but he is already being tipped to be one of the most exciting forwards in European football.
His impressive profile is reflected in the fee Wolves are willing to pay to land the striker, with his £35m fee eclipsing that of the club's current most expensive star, Raul Jimenez. The Premier League side paid £30m to make the Mexican's loan spell permanent last year, but his immediate future is already being brought into question.
The 29-year-old has scored 30 goals in 76 league appearances since moving to Molineux and his contributions proved vital both domestically and in Europe, as Nuno Espirito Santo's men reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
His 17 Premier League goals last year have seen him linked with moves to fellow English giants Manchester United, or even a switch to Serie A champions Juventus, meaning Silva could end up playing an important role in the Midlands club's season.
Jimenez would certainly leave big shoes to fill, but Silva has all the makings of another exciting young Portuguese prospect in Wolverhampton.