Wolves have completed a loan deal for Benfica striker, Raul Jimenez. Wolves have the option of buying the player next season for around £30m.
Jimenez scored on 8 occasions last season in as many as 43 games to help his side to the second spot of the Primera Liga. The 27-year-old has 63 senior caps for his country in which he has scored 13 times.
Jimenez signed with Benfica in the summer of 2015 from Atletico Madrid €9.8m. He was primarily set to give his medical with West Ham United but purposefully missed the flight on account of his agent, Jorge Mendes.
Now the striker has 120 appearances and 31 goals for the Eagles along with a contract set to run for another two seasons. The Wanderers are well aware of what they will be bringing in, having seen the striker take the pitch in the European top-flight already.
Jimenez will act as the starting number nine now that Benik Afobe has gotten traded to Stoke City just a few days after Wolves made the transfer permanent. After confirming his permanent switch to the Molineux for £10m, reports quickly emerged about Stoke’s hopeful plans of signing the Englishman for £12m.
It is being said that Gary Rowett is adamant on getting his man and Nuno Santo might agree to sell if he can make a profit. This could open up a clear starting spot for Jimenez into the starting lineup alongside the likes of Diogo Jota, Ivan Cavaleiro and Helder Costa.
The Wanderers are ready to take on the Premier League challenge with the same energy as their Championship winning 2017/18 season. Nuno Santo has put together a team full of young and technically proficient talents to completely dismantle the English second division last term.
With the financial pedigree provided by FOSUN International, the Portuguese tactician is expected to take the club to new heights next season and Jimenez could prove to be another one of his hidden gems.
The Mexican has not necessarily been prolific for Benfica this past season but does have the talent to make it in the English game. Standing at 6 feet 1 inches tall, Jimenez has the makes of an ideal forward.
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He is strong on the ball and equally skilled to hold off opposition defenders. With a decent turn of pace and strong physical attributes, he can make it big in the Premier League and in Santo’s system.
