Wolves have agreed to pay Sporting Lisbon £16million for goalkeeper Rui Patricio, according to A Bola.
The Portugese newspaper claim the Premier League club are set to settle the fee for the Portugal international after he mutually agreed to terminate his contract at the Jose Alvalade stadium in the summer following the attack by fans on the club’s training ground in May.
A Bola report claim the two clubs are close to settling the dispute after Sporting claimed compensation for one of the national team’s star players.
OPINION
Given the impact Patricio has made since joining Wolves on a four-year contract this summer, you would have to search long and hard to find too many supporters of the club who would claim he is not worth £16million in the current market. The 6ft 3in (source: Transfermarkt) shot-stopper has hit the ground running after ending his lengthy association with Sporting, a club he joined as a boy and graduated from their youth ranks to make 326 senior appearances. Capped 73 times by Portugal, the 30-year-old’s athleticism, awareness and command of his area have already made him look Wolves’ best keeper in years and he should be one of the key men for the team this season as they look to establish themselves in the Premier League. It will also be a relief for Wolves that the dispute with Sporting is settled rather than have to be settled by a FIFA tribunal.