Wolves secure Uruguayan talent “for £8.5m”

Wolverhampton Wanderers have successfully secured the services of Santiago Bueno, the Uruguayan centre-back, from Girona for a sum of £8.5 million.

At 24 years of age and with two caps for Uruguay under his belt, Bueno has penned a five-year deal with the West Midlands outfit.

In addition to Bueno, Wolves have welcomed 18-year-old Paraguayan winger Enso Gonzalez from Libertad. The young talent has committed to a six-year contract for an estimated fee of £10 million, pending international clearance and work permit approval.

These South American talents mark the first acquisitions for Wolves since the appointment of Gary O’Neil as the club’s new manager earlier this month. O’Neil has been active in the transfer market, recently confirming the departure of Portuguese midfielder Matheus Nunes to Manchester City for a staggering £53 million.

O’Neil is optimistic about further strengthening his squad before the summer transfer window closes this Friday. Tommy Doyle, England’s Under-21 midfielder, is rumoured to be the next addition, and there’s also talk of interest in Fulham’s Harrison Reed.

“The team behind the scenes is putting in a lot of effort to ensure we have a well-rounded squad. By the end of this transfer window, we’ll be in a much stronger position than we were a week ago,” O’Neil stated.

Wolves have been proactive this summer, bringing in six new players. Tom King and Matt Doherty joined on free transfers, while Boubacar Traore and Matheus Cunha have had their loan spells made permanent.

Before joining Wolves, Bueno had an impressive stint with Girona, making 102 league appearances since his move from Barcelona B in 2019. He also had the opportunity to play in La Liga last season following Girona’s promotion from the Segunda Division. Bueno made his international debut for Uruguay in a friendly against Japan in Tokyo earlier this year.

Gonzalez has shown promise, breaking into Libertad’s first team in September 2022. He has netted three goals in 23 league matches since the beginning of the year.