Shropshire Star

Wolves relaxed over Francisco Trincao's future

Wolves are relaxed over the future of Francisco Trincao after the on loan winger was linked with a January return to Barcelona.

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Reports in Portugal and Spain yesterday claimed Barcelona’s new boss Xavi Hernandez is keen to take the 21-year-old back to the Camp Nou as he looks to revive the fortunes of the struggling Catalan giants.

But it is Wolves who currently hold all the cards. The deal which saw Trincao move to Molineux last summer did not contain a January recall clause, while Wolves have the option to buy the Portugal international next year for a fee of around £25million.

That means Barcelona would need to negotiate his return and there is no suggestion at this stage Wolves would entertain such talks.

Trincao has experienced an indifferent start to life in the Premier League and spent time on the sidelines last month after contracting Covid-19. Though he is yet to score in the top flight, he enjoyed perhaps his most impressive outing so far in the 2-1 home win over Everton earlier this month and boss Bruno Lage is keen to tap into the former Braga ace’s potential.

Wolves’ focus during the January window will primarily be on incomings after they failed to strengthen in defence and midfield last summer. With Willy Boly and Romain Saiss both set to depart for the African Cup of Nations at the end of next month, the club may give consideration to temporarily recalling Dion Sanderson from his loan at Blues. Sanderson is among four on-loan players invited in for training at Compton Park this week.

Academy prospect Dexter Lembikisa has signed his first professional contract at Wolves after turning 18 earlier this month.

The wing-back has been part of the club’s academy for five years and impressed this season after stepping up to the under-23s team.

Wolves’ technical director, Scott Sellars, said: “Dexter came to us from London as a 13-year-old when he was only a young boy, but in the last 15 months, he’s really kicked on with his development.

“He has progressed really well and is now playing regularly with the under-23s having started with the under-18s, and his performances have been excellent.

“Dexter has always worked really hard on all aspects of his game, and it’s always pleasing to have young players who have a good work ethic and really want to learn.

“It’s because of his hard work that we’ve really seen the benefits in how he’s developed with his performances for the under-23s.

“We always try to push players on and challenge them, as we believe this is the best way for them to develop. For us, age is irrelevant, it’s about how you play and perform.

“Dexter has had a really good opportunity to kick on this season by being put into a challenging situation, but what he has to do now is keep working hard and keep showing that same mentality.”