Wolves Announce Signing of New Defender as Record £18m Transfer for Porto Midfielder Draws Nearer

Wolverhampton Wanderers have confirmed their third signing of the summer, taking to Twitter to announce the capture of Turkish side Konyaspor's left-back Barry Douglas. 

The 27-year-old Scot veered away from the traditional British footballer's career path of remaining in the UK, playing for Polish side Lech Poznań and Konyaspor before joining Wolves on a two-year deal.

The Black Country side proudly announced the deal via their official Twitter account:

Wolves are owned by the Chinese conglomerate group Fosun International, who bought the club for around £45m in July 2016. 

Chairman Jeff Shi is determined to see the club return to the Premier League, and is prepared to invest heavily to achieve his ambition. Wolves have already signed free agent Phil Ofosu-Ayeh, as well as Rio Ave's sturdy centre-back Roderick Miranda.

New manager Nuno Espírito Santo, who joined the side from Portuguese giants Porto, is already looking to steal away a young prospect from his former club. 

As reported by the Mirror, Wolves have agreed an £18m fee with the 27-time Portuguese champions for their 20-year-old midfielder Rúben Neves; a player formerly coveted by the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea.

It will be fascinating to see whether Wolves' gamble pays off next season, as the club have a lot of work to do to improve on their lowly 15th-place finish last season. 

The fans will be desperate to see their side fight for promotion in the 2017-2018 campaign, as Wolves haven't played in the Premier League since 2012; when the side finished rock-bottom of the table with just 25 points.