Wolves will have to pay £35m for versatile forward: Should they pursue him?

According to Daily Mail, Wolves are eyeing a move for Portimonense attacker Shoya Nakajima in the upcoming January transfer window.

The Japanese winger has shown immense potential in the Portuguese top flight this season and reportedly has a release clause of £35 million.

Wolves have been keen on shoring up their attack in January, but is Nakajima a good target for Nuno Espirito’s men?

Shoya Nakajima: Player profile

Nakajima has been in splendid form since joining from FC Tokyo at the start of this year, scoring 10 goals in his debut campaign. And the Japanese winger has managed to continue his excellent form this season as well, having been involved in nine goals in just 10 games – making him one of the most productive attackers in the league so far.

The 24-year-old is mainly known for his versatility as he can play anywhere across the final third. Although he’s very potent when deployed on the left flank, Nakajima’s excellent close control enables him to work around the central areas of the pitch, meaning he can be utilised as a number ten.

Indeed, Nakajima is an inverted winger and the fact that he has mustered 17 assists since joining Portimonenese earlier this year is indicative of his proficiency of creating chances for his team from the central areas of the pitch.

Aside from providing a creative spark going forward, Nakajima is also quite potent in front of goal, having scored 15 goals in just 44 appearances for Portimonense in all competitions.

However, the Japanese international certainly needs to improve his physical attributes while his slender 1.64m frame doesn’t help either.

Should Wolves pursue Shoya Nakajima?

As mentioned earlier, Nakajima is an excellent attacker who can not only provide the creative spark but also the productivity going forward, which could be ideal for a Wolves side that has scored only goals this season.

Nakajima’s tendency to move into central areas of the pitch will also help integrate to Nuno Espirito’s Santo preferred 3-4-2-1 formation, where he will most likely feature as the attacking midfielder, just behind the main striker.

The Japanese international can also be utilised as a wide midfielder and even as the lone striker up front, thanks to his excellent versatility.

That being said, it’s needless to say that Portimonense will not be willing to let go of their prized asset and triggering Nakajima’s release clause could cost Wolves £35 million – an absurd price-tag for a player who is yet to make a single appearance in any of Europe’s top five leagues.