wolves He may have just dropped down in the Championship, but the club still have a firm hand in Bastien Meupiau's future - and it could come in handy very early this summer.
Bastian Meupiau has made 31 appearances for Alverca under manager Custodio Castro this season, and has quietly become one of the most-watched young defenders in the Portuguese league.
Alwarka are in 10th place with four games remaining. They are safe from relegation and had a good season despite spending most of the time in the bottom half of the table. Mayupiou is one of the reasons they survived so quickly.
Wolves keep a close eye on progress
portuguese newspaper record According to reports, Wolves are keeping a close eye on the 20-year-old centre-back following his impressive season with Alverca in Portugal's first division.
A recent example came during Alverca's visit to FC Porto, where scouts from several clubs were present. Wolves are involvedAbsolutely.
only protector Wolves arrive from Nantes in 2024 For around €5m (£4.3m). However, he barely featured outside the club's U21 team before moving to Portugal a year later.
That quick exit raised eyebrows at the time, especially given his reputation in France as one of Nantes's better young defensive prospects.
Now things look different. At the age of 20, Meupiou has achieved regular senior football and appears much more settled physically and tactically. His size, recovery speed and comfort in possession have reportedly attracted the attention of clubs across Europe.
Just last month, We covered Portuguese reports Claiming that Borussia Dortmund's name is on their shortlist. And certainly they will not be alone in this pursuit during the summer period.
Guaranteed to help wolves
The interesting thing for wolves is that they can make a profit in two different ways.
The newspaper reports that the English club inserted a buyback clause when selling French defender Alvarca last summer. That clause is believed to be worth less than €1m (£850k).
Wolves also negotiated around 50% of the future transfer fee, meaning they would still earn a large sum even if another club signed him directly from Alverca.
So Wolves can either bring Meupiau back for a relatively low fee or simply sit back and benefit financially if the defender's value continues to rise elsewhere.
Jorge Mendes could accelerate transfer movement
Another important detail is the participation of Jorge Mendes. The record says the super-agent is already working on the player's next move, which usually suggests the market around the defender is becoming active.
For Wolves, this could become a useful test of their recruitment strategy. The club lost several young talents during the uncertainty of relegation, but Meupiou could still turn into a low-cost defensive solution or profitable asset.
Given Wolves' current financial landscape following relegation, both outcomes probably look attractive right now.
