Nelson Semedo is nearing a deal to move to Wolverhampton FC with FC Barcelona having no place for the 26-year-old right-back. The Portuguese right-back found himself displaced at Camp Nou with Ronald Koeman preferring to revamp the club with new players. Unfortunately, Semedo was not one of the players to be kept.
Regardless, Semedo will not be left in the dark. The Wanderers have dangled a $44 million offer for the right-back and the deal is expected to be sealed soon. Semedo is tipped as the perfect replacement for Matt Doherty who has taken his act to Tottenham, The Guardian reported.
Like Barca, the Wolves are in reshuffling mode. Aside from Doherty, also gone is Diogo Jota who is now with Liverpool. Some positions need to be filled and Semedo has a golden chance to rejuvenate his career. He has gone down in the pecking order with Koeman opting to go with Sergi Roberto.
Also, Koeman has other players on his wish list. ESPN reported that among the targets of Barca include Sergino Dest of Ajax and Max Aarons of Norwich City. An overhaul is in the works over in Camp Nou though Lionel Messi will still be around.
The thing with Semedo is that even before Koeman came in, he was never able to hit his stride. He arrived in 2017 has made 124 appearances for the club. Despite his unfortunate run, Semedo has gained interest from different clubs. Before the Wolves, Atletico Madrid was also close to getting him. This happened last summer but a deal failed to materialize.
Nelson #Semedo to Wolves is ‘here we go’ and confirmed. The deal is done and will be signed on next few hours also with Barcelona. Personal terms agreed with Mendes until 2025. Medicals on next week. #Wolves
...now it’s time for Dest [but Bayern are confident to sign him]. — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 20, 2020
Considering there are multiple players that Koeman wants to take in, Barca needs to raise funds to get a better chance of landing them. Once completed, the Semedo sale should be a big boost for Blaugrana’s pursuit of players like Dest and Aarons.
However, time is not on Barca’s side. Like in the case of Dest, Bayern Munich also has its eyes on the 19-year-old player. If they are to secure him, they need to pitch an offer and hope that it meets the asking fee of Ajax.
The case of Aarons is a bit more complicated. Barca has pitched several offers but Norwich has rejected bids coming from Blaugrana so far. Barcelona’s financial budget is seen as the big hindrance meaning selling off players who are not needed must be done.
The Semedo deal is a start but Barca needs to dangle their other players. So far, no names have been mentioned but the could change in the coming weeks.
