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‘Very slim’ – Wolves ‘face battle’ to retain £36.5m star as former club ‘express’ strong interest..
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The 31-year-old has racked up 167 appearances since his move in 2020
nA number of experienced players are expected to leave Wolves in the summer, regardless of what league they are in – and one of those names is understood to be club captain Nelson Semedo, according to reports.
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Since arriving from Barcelona in a deal thought to be in the region of £36.5m, Semedo has been a near ever present in the Wolves backline – and has been one of the first names on the teamsheet of many different managers, including Nuno Espirito Santo, Bruno Lage, Julen Lopetegui, Gary O’Neil and most recently experienced Portuguese coach Vítor Pereira.
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The 40-time Portugal international’s experience, defensive awareness and leadership skills have helped the club navigate their way through a tricky period in which the Old Gold have been forced to sell a number of stars such as Pedro Neto, Ruben Neves, Max Kilman, Matheus Nunes and Morgan Gibbs-White.
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But it appears increasingly likely that the popular defender could be heading for an exit door and back to a former employer in the near future.
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Worrying Nelson Semedo update emerges..
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Nelson Semedo has been a pivotal figure in Wolves’ backline for a number of seasons. He was named the Players’ Player of the Season at Molineux after the 2023/24 campaign concluded – and recently replaced Mario Lemina as the club captain.
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This time around Semedo hasn’t quite been as good, although that can be said of many of the players in the current squad, particularly in defence. His leadership and know-how remains invaluable to the group – and Pereira is thought to be keen to keep the 31-year-old at the club on a longer basis as he approaches the final months of his contract.
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Wolves would love to keep him. He’s 31, he’s an experienced player, his performances have been pretty consistent,” said the Express & Star’s Liam Keen.
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He added: “The things that go against that are the wages he’s on. I think people would be shocked if they heard what’s on, what Sarabia’s on, what Cunha’s on. They are no big money, bigger than what people realise.
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“There was an openness – which was part of the report in December – for the player to have a conversation, an openness for him to stay, that is all still accurate.
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“But the chances of him staying are still very slim. At 31, is he going to want to take a wage cut? You’d suspect not, he can move and go and play European football and get a big signing-on fee, as well as the big wages he’s currently on. From a financial point of view that’s a big sticking point.
n“The player was open to it, but he’s certainly not desperate and knocking down the door to Jeff Shi or Matt Hobbs begging for a contract.”
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Nelson Semedo may have come through the academy at Sintrense, but it was his move to local-side Benfica that really was the making of his career as a senior international for Portugal. He spent four years of his career on the books at Benfica and was notably a key member of the team which lifted both the 2016 and 2017 Portuguese titles and two domestic cups.
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And now Benfica, who sold the defender to Barcelona in 2017, are thought to be interested in bringing the right-back home on a free transfer, according to local outlet SIC Noticias.
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The outlet explains that Semedo remains popular at the Estádio da Luz and is seen as the type of profile that can help the team to further silverware in years to come. Benfica are currently second in the Portuguese title race behind Ruben Amorim’s former club Sporting, and are firmly on course to secure Champions League qualification for next season.
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