Speaking recently on the Euro Football Daily YouTube show, host Dougie Critchley claimed that Juventus and Manchester United are interested in the summer signing of Wolves striker Raul Jimenez.
Since arriving at Wolves from Benfica, which was initially on a loan deal starting in the summer of 2018 before the Midlands club made the move a permanent one in July 2019, Jimenez has gone on to be something of a revelation for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, scoring 43 goals and providing 18 assists in 96 appearances for the club.
This season, the Mexico international has scored 17 goals and provided six assists in the Premier League, helping his side to currently occupy a highly impressive sixth place in the league table, as well as scoring three goals and providing three assists in the Europa League, with Wolves reaching the last-16 stage of the competition – with the second leg of their fixture with Olympiacos set to be played on 6th August.
As a result of these impressive performances, there have been rumours regarding interest in the 29-year-old this summer, with Critchley recently stating on the Euro Football Daily YouTube show that Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri is keen on bringing the player to Serie A over the coming transfer window, with Manchester United also taking an interest in the forward.
He said: “One of the players at the top of their [Juventus’] list is Raul Jimenez, who turned 29 back in May. Yes, the Wolves striker will be 30 next year, but Maurizio Sarri has picked him up as a candidate to lead the line for the Bianconeri next season, but Man United are also in the running for the Mexican.
“Jimenez has 17 league goals this campaign from an xG [value] of just 15, after moving from Benfica on a permanent deal of €38 million last summer after initially impressing on loan. You would anticipate Wolves turning a profit on him if they were to sell, which seems unlikely, but there is an ‘X’ factor at play, here – Jorge Mendes.
“The super-agent responsible for a number of Wolves’ signings over the last few years is also the representative for the one and only Cristiano Ronaldo. Of course, this link doesn’t actually mean anything, but Mendes often has a way of getting what he wants, and there would no doubt be a handsome paycheck in it for him as well.”
TIF Thoughts…
As such, it would appear that while Critchley believes it ‘seems unlikely’ that Wolves would sell the £36 million-rated Jimenez this summer, the involvement of Mendes could prove to be a factor in seeing the 29-year-old make a move to Juventus.
It would seem from Critchley’s comments that there is a suggestion that in order to keep Ronaldo happy, Mendes could well pull some strings to make the switch of Jimenez to Juventus happen.
Do think that Raul Jimenez will leave Wolves this summer?
Yes, sadly I think he will
No, he won't be leaving
In any case, Wolves fans will simply have to wait and see whether or not the Italian giants submit a concrete offer for their 29-year-old star.