Roma close to signing Wolves goalkeeper Rui Patricio
Wolves goalkeeper Rui Patricio is closing in on a summer transfer to Roma, where he will link up with fellow countryman and new Giallorossi coach Jose Mourinho at Stadio Olimpico.
The expected transfer will see Patricio bid farewell to Molineux three years after arriving in England following a controversial exit from first club Sporting CP in 2018.
AS Roma are set to sign Rui Patricio, agreement now close after official bid to Wolves around €10m + €3m add ons. ?
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 5, 2021
There’s nothing with Marcelo as Spinazzola replacement - fake news, he’s staying at Real Madrid.
Ramy Bensebaini is among the targets, as per @DiMarzio.
Patricio has only missed two Premier League games since joining Wolves, helping the club achieve consecutive seventh place finishes in 2018/19 and 2019/20. But with only one year now left on his contract, there is an opportunity to bring in decent money for the 33-year-old.
Fabrizio Romano writes that an agreement between the clubs is ‘close’ following an ‘official bid’ from Roma worth an initial €10m (£8.6m) and an extra €3m (£2.6m) in add-ons.
Patricio, who has 97 senior caps for Portugal and won Euro 2016 with his country, will replace Pau Lopez as Roma number one. Lopez, who was briefly on loan at Spurs earlier in his career, is moving to join Marseille, where veteran club captain Steve Mandanda recently turned 36.
Wolves officials have already informed new coach Bruno Lage that some of the club’s highest earners and most valuable assets will have to be sold this summer if there are to be enough funds available for sufficient reinvestment in the squad following a disappointing 12th place finish.
With Patricio already on the way out, Wolves will also listen to offers for Ruben Neves, who is valued in excess of £30m, and Adama Traore, who remains a firm target for Leeds and has been of interest to Liverpool in the relatively recent past.
Arsenal have already held talks over Neves, but Manchester United are also still very keen on the 24-year-old midfielder and 90min has been told that Bruno Fernandes has already given a glowing reference of his international colleague.
A new report from O Jogo in Portugal also suggests that Wolves will sell 50% of their ownership in full-back Ruben Vinagre to Sporting CP. That deal would take the form of an initial loan, followed by a €10m (£8.6m) pay out next summer, with Wolves also entitled to 50% of a future transfer fee.
The 22-year-old spent last season on loan at Olympiacos and Famalicao.
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