Wolves on the verge of completing the signing of Portimonense star Shoya Nakajima, "80 percent" complete
Wolves are by now very close to winning the race to sign Portimonense’s creative winger Shoya Nakajima, according to the club president, for a fee believed to be in the region of €20million.
Nakajima had attracted interest from the likes of Southampton and Leicester, but Wolverhampton Wanderers, managed by Nuno Espirito Santo, are now “80 percent” of the way to completing the signing of Japanese international, who has been the standout performer in the Primeira Liga since he arrived at the club at the beginning of last season.
His record in his first campaign in the Portuguese top flight was nothing short of sensational, directly contributing to 22 goals in just 29 league appearances, scoring 10 and assisting 12 as he took the Primeira Liga by storm and led newly-promoted Portimonense to an impressive 10th place finish.
And he has only picked up from where he left off last time around; after a relatively slow start by his lofty standards, he has managed to find the back of the net 5 times in 10 league outings, as well as contributing 4 assists, showing that he is more than just a 'one-season wonder'.
But it's not just his goals and assists that make him such a terrific talent, but his flair, creativity and dribbling ability make him a joy to watch and a huge threat down the left-hand side, particularly on the counter-attack. His pace, directness and unpredictability, added to his clear and natural end-product, makes him the ideal attacking winger, who can, as he has proven in the past, win matches singlehandedly.
And while he may not play for one of the big three sides in Portugal, his incredible efforts in the Primeira Liga have not gone unnoticed, with Premier League clubs Southampton and Leicester both linked with the Japanese attacker in recent weeks.
However, it is Wolves who are on the verge of snapping up one of the Primeira Liga's most prized assets, where he will join a wealth of players that have already tried their hand at Primeira Liga football including Rui Patricio, Ruben Neves, João Moutinho, Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota, as well as ex-Porto manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
Portimonense’s president Rodiney Sampaio, has also revealed that negotiations are well under way, with the signing likely to occur in January. He did admit that there are still some details to work out: “What is at issue is the matter of payment of the entire termination clause, so it has not been finalised.” However, he then went on to say that “Nakajima is 80 percent at Wolverhampton,” confirming the news that broke yesterday.
He also said “It will be a great loss on a sporting level. Nakajima is a great player. we will all regret his departure, squad and fans, but we could not hold onto him.”
Nakajima has a release clause of €40million, an astronomical fee for a club like Portimonense, although Wolves are looking to negotiate a fee in the region of €20million, a deal that would still prove great value for money for Wolves but also a terrific return for Portimonense, who signed him from FC Tokyo for a fraction of that price.
