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Signing this £33m Portuguese ace could propel Wolves to a top-10 finish in the Premier League – agreed?

As per a report from the Sun, newly promoted Premier League outfit Wolverhampton Wanderers have identified AC Milan striker Andre Silva as their No.1 transfer target for the summer. 

The Portuguese international was also heavily linked with a move to the Molineux in the January transfer window but no move materialised back then. However, having won the EFL Championship to make their way back to the English top-flight, Wolves are intent on strengthening their attacking forces and it looks like they have made the 22-year old their top target. 

Having come through the ranks at FC Porto, Silva broke into the Portuguese club’s senior team in the 2015/16 campaign but enjoyed a breakthrough in the 2016/17 season when he managed to net a total of 21 goals in 44 appearances across all competitions.

This success saw him earn a big money move to AC Milan in the last summer, with the Rossoneri shelling out £33m to sign him from Porto as a part of some sweeping changes at the club.

However, things haven’t exactly gone according to plans for Milan and Silva. In his 23 Serie A appearances (only 7 starts), the 22-year-old has managed to score just two goals and assisted none.

However, his performances in Europe have been much better, as he has come up with returns of 8 goals in 14 appearances in the UEFA Europa League (qualifiers included).

A 20-time capped Portuguese international, Silva’s tally of 11 goals for the Seleccao on the international stages is respectable as well, highlighting the fact that despite his struggles in Italy this season, he remains a goalscorer with great potential.

Wolves coasted through the first half of their campaign in the English second division largely on the back of goals from Brazilian striker Leo Bonatini and on-loan Atletico Madrid attacker Diogo Jota. However, with the duo not performing consistently since the turn of the year, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men found things relatively difficult.

The club did bring in Benik Afobe on loan from Bournemouth in January and the striker enjoyed a fruitful spell, scoring 6 goals in 16 appearances but Wolves are understood be considering pulling the plug on a permanent deal to sign him.

Wolves will definitely need to bring in a new striker in the summer if they are to put up a strong showing on their return to the Premier League and despite Silva’s difficult season with Milan, he has what it takes to do the job for them.  

Silva may have just scored twice in the Serie A, but his goal-scoring rate of one strike every 118 minutes in European football he played in the 2017/18 campaign is a testament to the fact that he can be a prolific source of goals for Wolves.

Add to that, his exploits with the Portuguese national team and the fact that he has been picked by the Seleccao for the FIFA World Cup in Russia next month indicates how highly he is thought of.

A good finisher, with both feet and head, the youngster also possesses good ground speed and has the knack for being in the right place at the right time in and around the box.

Andre Silva

A decent dribbler of the ball as well, Silva ticks most boxes needed in a striker to be a hit in the Premier League. Without a doubt, Andre Silva is a talented young footballer but a difficult campaign will have hurt his confidence.

However, joining a club like Wolves, who have a Portuguese manager in Santo and an array of Portuguese players like Helder Costa, Ivan Cavaleiro, Jota and Ruben Neves (the latter two being his teammates at Porto in the 16/17 campaign), should help him settle in quickly and regain his touch in front of goal.

If that happens, he could turn out to be the best piece of business that Wolves could do this summer, and would surely propel them to a mid-table finish or maybe even a top-10 finish if the other players click.

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