Exclusive: Nélson Semedo Set to Snub Wolves Contract Offer and Return to Benfica

Nélson Semedo is set to snub a contract extension at Wolves to return to Benfica, according to SportsBoom sources.

The Wolves skipper, 31, will be a free agent come the end of the season. 

SportsBoom understand there have been talks between Semedo and club officials regarding a new deal this season.

But the player, who started his career in Portugal, is keen on a return to his homeland after helping Wolves secure their Premier League survival this term.

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Current Wolves' boss Vitor Pereira wants to keep his skipper, but knows the lure of returning to Portugal is a big one for the player.

Bruno Lage, who managed Wolves between June 2021 and October 2022, is now manager at Benfica and is a huge admirer of the defender.

And linking up with Lage once more, a man he credits with helping him improve during his time in England, is a prospect Semedo is relishing as he contemplates his options. 

Born in Lisbon, the right-sided wing-back moved to Benfica from Sintrense in 2012.

He made his debut for the national side in 2015 and been capped over 40 times by his country.

And after winning back-to-back league titles in 2016 and 2017, a campaign which saw him scoop the prestigious Breakthrough Player of the Year award, Semedo moved to Barcelona for over €30million. 

Semedo enjoyed three successful seasons at the Catalan giants, where he won two La Liga titles and the Copa Del Rey. 

But Semedo was sold in the summer of 2020 with Barcelona facing financial difficulties and they recouped the fee they paid for the player when he penned a three-year deal, with an option of a further two years, at the Midlands club.