Wolves are plotting a bid for Braga defender David Carmo ahead of the summer transfer window as Bruno Lage identifies new targets.
What’s the word?
That’s according to Portuguese newspaper O Jogo (via Birmingham mail) which states that the Premier League is the likely destination for Carmo.
Wolves face competition from German club Wolfsburg, as confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, although their bid was turned down.
The defender has a release clause of €40m (£34.3m) and this could tempt Lage into making a move for the player.
Lage needs him
Wolves enjoyed a solid campaign in the Premier League, finishing tenth and just missing out on European football for next year.
The onus is on the manager to rejuvenate the squad and with certain players’ futures, such as Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho uncertain, there could be plenty of incomings during the summer.
One area that Lage is aiming to boost is the defence and with Romain Saiss leaving, there is a hole that needs to be filled.
Carmo would be a fine addition to the Wolves squad and won 2.5 aerials per game last season, ranking him third in the Braga side.
Compared to positional peers in the big five leagues, Carmo ranks in the top 1% for clearances per match (6.75), whilst also displaying his attacking skills, again ranking in the top 1% for non-penalty goals (0.18 per 90) and he also generates 0.89 shot-creating actions per match.
These stats show that Lage would be benefiting at both ends of the pitch by signing the defender and at just 22 years of age, he could kickstart the next stage in his development by moving to England.
His Braga performances led manager Carlos Carvalhal to describe him as a “fantastic” centre back, while Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers claimed that Carmo has an “excellent profile” and this is high praise indeed from two coaches who are well respected.
Lage should act sooner rather than later with a move for the player before a club of a bigger stature come along and ruin the opportunity.