All eyes on Jorge Mendes as £83m Wolves transfer triangle emerges

Jorge Mendes is gearing up for another profitable transfer window and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ incomings and outgoings will feature on his to-do list.

The super-agent has acted as an advisor to Wolves owners Fosun since they purchased the club in 2016 and that isn’t expected to change any time soon. If Ruben Neves is to leave Wolves this summer, Mendes will be the man facilitating the deal on behalf of the midfielder and the club.

But, away from Neves, there is a transfer triangle developing which has Mendes’ prints all over it. Two of the players involved are Adama Traore and Francisco Trincao - but a third party has now entered the conversation.

Traore’s loan spell with Barcelona hasn’t quite gone according to plan, despite the Spaniard’s explosive start to life back at the Camp Nou. Traore recorded four assists in his first six matches to heighten expectancy levels amongst Wolves’ top brass that Barcelona would exercise their £25million option to buy in the summer.

But the 26-year-old winger has dropped to the bench in recent weeks with Ousmane Dembele back in form and favour under Xavi. There is now the possibility that Dembele extends his contract with Barcelona, which could see president Joan Laporta pull the plug on the Traore deal all together.

Laporta has already suggested Barcelona aren’t in a position to meet Traore’s asking price, and he’s mooted a possible swap deal involving Trincao. Trincao’s buy option is also around the £25m mark, so a straight switch makes financial sense at least.

But there are now doubts as to whether Trincao wants to stick it out in England. Reports in Portugal over the weekend claim Trincao is open to a reunion with former Braga boss Ruben Amorim at Sporting.

That’s where Matheus