Deal close: Wolves are in prime position to sign "special" £17m star, Lage needs him - opinion

Wolves are gearing up for a busy transfer window this summer with Bruno Lage already making it clear what he wants to achieve, and now a new update has emerged on a potential transfer target who could make the move to the Molineux this summer.

According to a report in Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Noticias (via Sport Witness) Wolves could ‘close the deal’ with Joao Palhinha soon.

As per the report, there is a market for Palhinha in the Premier League however Wolves are leading the race to sign the Sporting CP star.

They further claim that Manchester United are also interested in the player but have not made a formal proposal, so Wolves are set to steal Palhinha’s signature in a deal reported to be worth €24m (£20.5m).

There have been numerous reports of Ruben Neves being linked with a move away from Wolverhampton this summer, and signing Palhinha could be a great start for Lage this summer as he clearly will need him if the Wolves midfielder leaves during the transfer window.

The £17m star who was hailed “special” by Sporting manager Ruben Amorim, has been a consistent and reliable performer for his Portuguese side this season.

According to SofaScore, Palhinha has scored three goals and created one big chances, making three tackles, one interception and winning an impressive seven duels on average per game, whilst also completing the majority of his dribbles successfully (60%), proving that he is a complete nightmare for his opponents.

If Neves does leave this summer, Wolves will need to quickly identify a replacement worthy of taking up his position in the centre of the pitch and considering Palhinha is reportedly wanted by Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint Germain this summer, he is clearly a hot