Wolves are prolific when it comes to signing South American talent, but one player previously on their radar is now out of their reach.
Wolves’ new signing Jhon Arias became the latest South American to make the switch to Molineux, joining the 2024 capture of Andre from Fluminense.
Arias has also been welcomed by Brazilian midfielder Joao Gomes, who was snapped up from Flamengo at the start of 2023, while right-back Pedro Lima was signed from Sport Recife for £8.4 million last summer.
The 27-year-old is also familiar with Colombian teammate Yerson Mosquera, the defensive powerhouse who recently returned from his ACL injury.
When scouring the transfer market, the Old Gold are always on the hunt for South American youngsters, though their hopes of signing one particular player have been dashed.
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Wolves target Riquelme Fillipi has a £87m release clause
In March, it was claimed that Wolves were preparing a £5 million bid for Riquelme Fillipi, the Brazilian forward who plays his football for Palmeiras U20s.
The fleet-footed teenager, who idolises Neymar, has plundered an impressive 19 goals across all competitions in 2025 and shown why he’s one of the country’s best young prospects.
Fillipi has been compared to Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus due to his ‘good positioning’ and ‘intelligence in attack’, displaying such attributes through his clinical scoring exploits.
Wolves were joined in their race for the 18-year-old by Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest, but unfortunately, any chance of landing him has now been ended.
GlobO Esporte have revealed that Palmeiras have renewed Fillipi’s contract until the end of 2029 and inserted an eye-watering €100 million (£87 million) release clause.
Following Estavao’s departure to Chelsea, Fillipi has a clear path into the senior setup and made his first-team debut for the Brazilian giants last weekend, coming on for the final eight minutes against Gremio.
That is why Palmeiras were so keen to tie him down and not let him join an English club for a smaller fee.
Wolves will target more players from Brazil
The signing of Arias from Fluminense isn’t the only South American player Pereira could target this summer, with transfer expert Graeme Bailey stating in March that it is an avenue the club will continue to explore.
“Wolves are very, very strong in the South American market – especially Brazil,” Bailey told Molineux News.
“But it is not just about spending money, they are very well respected – they are a good platform for many players to push on.”
Currently, Wolves need players who are the finished article or at least ready to take the Premier League by storm and will be targeting a new right-back, central midfielder and striker after capturing David Moller Wolfe for £10 million.