Deal agreed: Big Molineux transfer development emerges, it’s great news for Wolves - opinion

Wolves have reportedly agreed a deal to sign Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Palhinha.

According to a recent report from CM Jornal, the Old Gold have reached an agreement with the Portuguese club to sign their midfield star. Wolves will reportedly pay €20m (£17m) up front and a potential €5m (£4.2m) in add-ons for the 26-year-old.

Across a combined 170 senior appearances for Sporting Lisbon and Braga, the midfielder has scored 13 goals and delivered three assists in the process. He also has experience of playing in the Europa League and the Champions League, which could be useful for Wolves as they aim to break into Europe under Bruno Lage.

In fact, he got a good taste of what it’s like to come up against the Premier League‘s top brass as he played the full 90 minutes against Manchester City in the Champions League in February.

His latest season with Sporting saw him score three goals in 27 league appearances and earn himself an overall performance rating of 7.03/10 from WhoScored.

However, it was his defensive talent which stood out throughout the campaign, as the midfielder won more tackles (47) than any other player at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.

Taking into account how Wolves only won two of their final 12 Premier League games of the season and conceded 23 goals in those matches, it’s easy to see why they have sought to secure a deal for Palhinha so early in the summer transfer window.

Also, with current Old Gold midfielder Joao Moutinho’s contract at Molineux set to expire at the end of the month, this reported deal could see the £22.5m-rated figure come in and be a potential long-term replacement for his veteran compatriot.

Bearing in mind how the Midlands club already have a significant number of Portuguese players