Five facts on reported Wolverhampton Wanderers target Paulinho

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Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly closing in on the signing of another Portuguese player.

According to Gianluca DiMarzio, the Black Country club are primed to win the race for Braga striker Paulinho.

Little is known about the 27-year-old, so here are five facts about Paulinho for Wolves fans to sink their teeth into as a £22.5 million move reportedly edges closer:

He’s never left Portugal

Paulinho is yet to venture outside of Portugal in his professional career having come through the Santa Maria academy and then played for Trofense and Gil Vicente before joining Braga in 2017.

The man scores goals

Paulinho has been in inspired form over the past 12 months.

The star scored 17 goals in 29 Liga NOS outings, and added a further eight in other competitions – including four in the Europa League.

His time at Braga especially has been pretty fruitful, with his current record standing at 53 goals and 20 assists in 129 appearances.

Versatility

Paulinho is best deployed as a central striker, but he is also able to operate in behind a number nine and out on the wing if needed.

He featured exclusively as a striker last term for Braga, but did play off the shoulder of the main striker on occasion in 2018/19.

He’s a wanted man

Wolves appear to be leading the charge for Paulinho, but it is claimed that Lazio are also keen to sign the star.

The Black Country club shouldn’t have any issues though, with Di Marzio stating the Italian side could ultimately only offer €15 million/£13.5 million.

International fringes

Paulinho is presently uncapped by the Portuguese senior side, but came close to making his bow at the 2018 World Cup.

He was included in the preliminary 35-man squad by Fernando Santos, but just missed the final cut, meaning to date he still has just one cap for the U21s.