According to latest reports, Wolves are on the brink of letting Benik Afobe go to Stoke City for £12m. Gary Rowett has expressed interest in the former Bournemouth striker who made his move to the Molineux permanent for £10m earlier this week. It is being said that Nuno Espirito Santo will be open to the move if he can make a profit in the process.
This could potentially prove to be a massive success for both parties. The Wanderers have the spending pedigree to go after more lucrative names and Stoke will only be paying a small differential for competing interests.
Afobe has done wonderfully during his time at the Molineux, scoring 29 in 64 total appearances. He was going through a torrid spell with the Cherries and Santo gave him an escape during the winter transfer spell. Afobe moved to the West Midland club to strike 6 times for the Wanderers and help through the final stretch of the 2017/18 campaign.
Prior to that, Afobe was firing blanks at Dean Court and was down the pecking order behind the likes of Joshua King and Callum Wilson. Santo ideally would have liked the 25-year-old to start in the number nine position next campaign, without an ideal replacement in the squad.
The Wanderers had Leo Bonatini in their squad in the last term who shockingly dropped out of his scoring form for 25 straight matches. His loan move from Al-Hilal was not made permanent which prompted Wolves to go after a well-known candidate.
The striker stands 6 feet tall and has the technical ability to hold up the ball and link up with the rest of his teammates. He also possesses the speed and agility to beat defenders on the run.
In the modern game, strikers, who are tagged as superstars in the lower leagues, often fail to produce in the big stages. Afobe is well accustomed to the Wolves’ way of playing but is still a gamble for the top-flight.
Sending him off to Stoke, who are looking to bounce back to the Premier League themselves could open up a whole lot of possibilities for Wolves. AC Milan forward, Andre Silva has been linked with the club for quite a while now, giving Santo with the open look for a refurbished approach.
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The Portuguese might be an upgrade to Afobe even though he has struck out in the Serie A this past term.
