Wolves have confirmed the arrival of Nelson Semedo from Barcelona for an initial €30m, with the right-back contracted until 2023 – although the club will have the option to extend his deal until 2025.
Semedo featured 42 times in all competitions for Barca last season, but was unable to hold down the right-back slot during his time with the club. And with La Blaugrana needing to raise funds this summer, the 26-year-old has been linked with a number of clubs.
Welcome to the Wolves, @_nelsonsemedo_!
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— Wolves (@Wolves) September 23, 2020
But it is Wolves who have won the race for his signature, the club confirmed the news on their official website. The Portugal international has signed a contract until the summer of 2023, with an option to extend the deal by a further two years.
Barcelona have also confirmed his departure on their official website. Stating that the Premier League outfit will pay an initial €30m – but this could rise to €40m with raises.
Speaking after the news was confirmed, Wolves chairman Jeff Shea told the club’s website: “‘Progressive at heart’ is one of our core values at Wolves. For a member of staff, for a player. So, for the entire club, we are all striving for continuous improvement.
Last night at Molineux…
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— Wolves (@Wolves) September 23, 2020
“It’s not often that we get the chance to sign a world-class player from a world-class club. Nelson’s signature shows that we will never stop growing and that we are still hungry and humble in our hearts.
Explaining why he chose Wolves, Semedo told the club’s website: “I chose Wolves because they are a very good team who play very good football. They had a very good season last year. What was and it’s a very important team in England, in Europe as well. Hopefully this year we can do great things.
“Coach Nuno is a great coach. He’s done great things here at Wolves and at other teams as well. I’m definitely going to learn a lot from him.
Semedo explains why he wants to learn from Nuno / Sam Bagnall – AMA / Getty Images
“The team has done great things in the last three years. I am excited and I hope that this year we can do great things, reach the top six and if possible do something special. I come here. I’m excited to get started and thank you so much for your support and we’re going to enjoy it together.”
While the fee may come as somewhat of a surprise, it will be a major boost for Nuno Espirito Santo following the recent departure of Matt Doherty. Semedo is now following in the footsteps of Fabio Silva, Marcel, Ki-Jana Hoover and Vitor Ferreira as he transitions to Molineux.
Semedo will, of course, need time to settle into his new home, but he will be surrounded by some familiar faces in Rui Patricio, Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho.