Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in a deal to bring Vitinha back to Molineux.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by Portuguese publication Record (via Birmingham Live), who claimed that Bruno Lage's side have sent scouts to watch the 21-year-old in action for FC Porto ahead of a potential swoop for the midfielder in January.

The report added that a number of other clubs are also interested in the Portugal under-21 international, with Valencia, Celta Vigo and Real Sociedad all believed to have sent scouts to watch Vitinha this season.

However, Wolves' previous relationship with the player, in addition to him being a client of Jorge Mendes, is viewed as giving the Premier League side an advantage in the race for his signature.

Shi must move

While Vitinha was only handed five Premier League starts during his loan spell at Wolves last season, with the midfielder going on to make a further 14 appearances from the bench, it is undeniable that the 21-year-old seems a player who boasts a tremendous amount of potential.

Indeed, upon his arrival at the club in September 2020, Jeff Shi stated his belief that: "Vitinha is a crucial signing and an integral component in our recruitment plan for this summer. He is an exciting and special young talent, with an abundance of technique and creativity."

While Wolves ultimately did not exercise their €20m (£17m) option to purchase the midfielder at the end of last season, Vitinha has already started to prove that this decision was a big mistake on the part of Shi.

Indeed, over his five league appearances this term, the £6.3m-rated man has taken 2.4 shots, made 2.2 key passes, 1.8 interceptions and 1.2 tackles and won 5.6 duels per game.

These returns have seen the 21-year-old, who has drawn strong comparisons to Joao Moutinho, average a SofaScore match rating of 7.78, ranking him not only as Sergio Conceicao's top performer in the league but also as the best player in the entire Portuguese top flight.

Wolves have been rather lacking in creativity from midfield so far this season, with Ruben Neves' 1.4 key passes being the most of Lage's midfielders. With the 45-year-old only having four options to call upon in the middle of the park, a move for the €40k-per-week (£34k-per-week) Vitinha this January would appear to be a very wise move for Shi indeed.

In other news: Lage could save Fosun millions with "outstanding" 23 y/o, he's just what Wolves need