Wolves finally pip West Ham and Southampton in the race to sign £20.7m Corinthians striker Yuri Alberto
Wolves finally pip West Ham and Southampton in the race to sign £20.7m Corinthians striker Yuri Alberto
Wolves have held talks over the possibility of signing a striker wanted by West Ham and Southampton.
Wolverhampton Wanderers reportedly reignited their interest in Corinthians forward Yuri Alberto during the January transfer window and could look to revisit the situation again in the summer.
Alberto, once an appearance maker for the senior Brazil national team, has been developing nicely in the Brazilian top tier throughout the past few years. The centre-forward scored 15 goals and made five assists in 29 Brazilian Serie A appearances throughout 2024, adding a further nine goals and two assists in 10 Copa Sudamericana matches.
It’s been a decent start to the current year, too, with three goals in nine Campeonato Paulista games. Alberto nearly didn’t stick around for those fixtures, however, as it’s been revealed a host of Premier League and European clubs recently held talks over signing him.
R7 Esportes reports Alberto wants to return to Europe three years on from departing Zenit St Petersburg in Russia due to the ongoing war with Ukraine. It’s claimed his agent, Andre Cury, spent January offering him around some top clubs in the continent, revealing Corinthians’ asking price of €25 million (£20.7m).
Wolves, West Ham United and Southampton are all said to have “tried” to sign the striker but were unwilling to meet the price tag. Inter Milan, meanwhile, are in dialogue with Cury as they consider coughing up the necessary transfer fee. If no agreement can be struck, then Cury will meet clubs in Spain and England.
Albeit keen to make the jump to Europe, Alberto is reportedly remaining very professional throughout the process and has been acceptant of Corinthians’ stubbornness to hold out for a suitable sale. The attacker has expressed his desire to leave but won’t force a move out of respect for the club and its supporters.
How would Yuri Alberto fit in at Wolves?
Formerly of Santos and Sport Club Internacional before his moves to Zenit and Corinthians, Alberto is predominantly a striker but can also play as a winger on either side. The 23-year-old has scored exactly 100 club career goals to date, managing that tally in 282 matches across all competitions.
Wanderers are quite short of strikers at the moment, or at least consistent goalscorers. Jorgen Strand Larsen has been a decent signing from Celta Vigo but the likes of Hwang Hee-Chan and Goncalo Guedes have flattered to deceive when leading the line.
Matheus Cunha is of course the Old Gold’s talisman but he’s often better deployed in a more fluid attacking midfield role where he can drift inside and cause problems between the lines. Alberto, if he joined, could become another option up top either alongside or instead of Strand Larsen.
Fairly quick off the mark and standing at six feet tall, Alberto’s main strengths are his prolific finishing, pressing and positioning but he struggles at times with his hold-up play, ball control and ground duels. First touches can often go amiss, leading to Alberto wasting the odd opportunity here and there. That said, when he controls the ball correctly, he rarely misses the target.
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