Ruben Vinagre is reportedly set to leave Wolverhampton Wanderers and join Greek side Olympiakos.
Tim Spiers of The Athletic claims the Midlands club will look to sign 19-year-old left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri from Ligue 1 club Angers as Vinagre’s replacement.
Ruben Vinagre to Join Olympiakos From Wolves
Vinagre Leaving After Two Years at the Club
Twenty-one-year-old Vinagre joined Wolves from Monaco in July 2018. The Portuguese defender became an important part of Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad, and made 33 appearances in all competitions last season.
However, Vinagre will perhaps hope to gain even further game time in Greece. Of those 33 appearances in 2019/20, only 16 came in the Premier League.
Both of the player’s goals for the club last season came in the Europa League qualifying rounds.
The full-back positions have been areas of strong transfer activity for Wolves in this window. Matt Doherty has left the club for Tottenham Hotspur, while efforts to sign Ainsley Maitland-Niles from Arsenal have proved unsuccessful.
Young Replacement Identified for Vinagre
Teenage Frenchman Rayan Ait-Nouri is reportedly being lined up as Vinagre’s replacement. The Angers defender has won three international caps at U21 level and has made two appearances so far for his club in the new season.
Ait-Nouri is highly-regarded in his native France and played 17 games in Ligue 1 over the 2019/20 season, registering three assists from the left-back position.
So far in this extended summer transfer window, Wolves have signed attacking midfielder Vitinha on loan from FC Porto, the club from which they have also brought in record-signing Fabio Silva.
Nelson Semedo has arrived from La Liga giants Barcelona, while Ki-Jana Hoever has signed from Premier League champions Liverpool. Brazilian left-back Marçal has joined from French club Lyon, and goalkeeper Matija Sarkic has arrived on a free transfer from Aston Villa.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are next in action on 4 October, where they will face Scott Parker’s much-maligned newly-promoted Fulham in the Premier League.
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