Liverpool are set to miss out on the signing of FC Porto sensation Fabio Silva, with Record reporting the Liga NOS giants have accepted a €40million bid from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Silva is expected to secure a summer transfer to Molineux ‘imminently’, with Wolves willing to smash their club-record to obtain the 18-year-old who struck three goals and penned two assists in 21 first-team outings last season.
Official confirmation of a move could come as early as this weekend after a breakthrough in negotiations brokered by super-agent Jorge Mendes, who sought to secure a new home for his client following his excellent breakout campaign.
Silva only made his senior debut last August but soon had sides from around Europe considering his services, including Liverpool after we sent scouts to observe the teen star during Porto’s 3-0 win over Famalicao last October when the Porto-born prospect scored just two minutes on from his introduction.
The Portugal U18 international made a majority of his appearances from the bench last season, having only opened one Liga NOS fixtures, three Taca de Portugal Placard matches and one Allianz Cup tie.
Wolves have seen enough potential from those appearances to strike a €40m (£35.6m) deal with Porto, who agreed to lower their academy graduate’s valuation from the €125m (£111.3m) release clause in his contract whilst still securing what they felt to be a substantial sum.
Porto are in a position where they must raise funds this summer to comply with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations and be able to invest in the playing squad during the current transfer window.
Raul Jimenez is presently Wolves’ record arrival having been signed from SL Benfica for £30m last summer following a season-long loan spell in the Black Country, surpassing the £18m spent to acquire Adama Traore in 2018.
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By missing out on Silva, Liverpool have failed to sign a player who has been tipped as the eventual successor to Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo in the senior Portugal set-up, with it proposed that the Porto product will one day lead the line currently occupied by the five-time Balon d’Or winner.
It is almost customary for any exciting Portuguese prospect to be compared with Ronaldo, though it is noted that Silva has already broken countless records for Porto through his goalscoring exploits.
Our scouting mission in October was also not the first time we have considered signing Silva, either, having previously attempted to lure the youngster to Merseyside in 2017 when he left Benfica’s academy to re-join Porto’s.