Wolverhampton Wanderers sign Barcelona full-back Nelson Semedo in £29 million deal

09/23/2020

Wolverhampton Wanderers have completed a move for Barcelona defender Nelson Semedo in a deal worth £29 million, with the Portuguese full-back signing a three year deal. The 26-year-old has been heavily linked with a move away from Camp Nou, with Barcelona looking to add reinforcements.

With Barcelona looking to raise funds in order to transform their team, it has seen the club slowly but steadily let go of key players this summer. Arturo Vidal and Ivan Rakitic have already left the club this summer with Luis Suarez set to leave in the coming days. But the trio have left for less than £10 million in combined fees which has seen Barcelona put Nelson Semedo up for sale.

The Portuguese international has been heavily linked with a move to Juventus, Manchester United, and Inter Milan but after much speculation has signed for Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers in a deal worth £29 million. The Molineux side have confirmed the move and revealed that Semedo has signed a contract with the club until 2023, although it contains a clause allowed to active an extension to 2025.

“Wolves have completed the signing of Portugal international Nelson Semedo from FC Barcelona. The right wing-back has penned a deal that will keep him at Molineux until June 2023, with an option to extend it to June 2025,” reads the statement on the club’s website.

“The 26-year-old arrives with ten major honours to his name and three seasons at the Nou Camp, where he’s impressed in La Liga and the Champions League. Semedo, who has played 13 times for his country alongside a number of his new Wolves teammates, now becomes an immediate option to Nuno Espirito Santo on the right-hand side.”

The full-back spent three years at Barcelona, where he made well over a 100 appearances for the club and won two La Liga titles along the way after he thrived in the Liga Nos with Benfica where he won two Portuguese league titles. In his first interview, as a Wolves player, Semedo revealed that he picked Wolves because of their ambition and what manager Nuno Espirito Santo has done with the club since signing for them.

“I chose Wolves because it’s a very good team that plays very good football. Last year they did a very good season and it’s a very important team in England, in also Europe. I hope this year we can do very good things. Coach Nuno is a very good coach. He did very good things here in Wolves, and in other teams too. For sure I’m going to learn a lot from him," Semedo revealed in his first interview as a Wolves player.

“They can expect a modern right-back, who likes to attack. I can bring the team pace, speed. I like to go forward and come back. They can expect a lot of work and a lot of ambition. I’m very excited to be here. It’s a very good team. To play in the Premier League is a dream from me too. So, I’m very excited to begin, to meet my teammates and start training.”