Relegation-Threatened Premier League Star Wanted By Serie A Champions

In-Demand Wolves Midfielder Set to Join McTominay in Italy

The Italian top flight has long been a destination that Premier League players seek in a bid to reverse their fortunes and reignite their careers.

It is impossible to count the number of PL flops who fared better in Italy than in England, but the list includes the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Rasmus Hojlund, Scott McTominay, Davide Zappacosta and Ademola Lookman - all of them have thrived in the sunny Mediterranean, winning titles, personal accolades and wins aplenty when they were considered poor, and for some even unimportant, back in the Premier League.

Joao Gomes has reportedly agreed to join Napoli in the summer. 🚨 🇧🇷

However, the agreement on a fee between #Wolves and Napoli is still missing.

📰 @skysport/@DiMarzio | #WWFC pic.twitter.com/Kkl4q6vkIR

— Talking Wolves (@TalkingWolves) January 12, 2026

Joao Gomes cannot be considered an unimportant player, but the Wolves midfielder is certainly searching for a way out of a side doomed for relegation, and he may be given an escape route this month, with reigning champions of Italy Napoli pursuing his signature.

The Great Escape

Despite only being January, the Wolves side of 2025/26 are being labelled as one of, if not the worst, Premier League sides of all time, with their measly total of seven points still on track to beat Derby County’s ignominious end-of-season record of 11.

Joao Gomes has been one of very few standouts for the Wolverhampton-based side, and alongside Mateus Mane and Santiago Bueno, the Brazilian has been a rare bright spark in the heart of midfield at Molineux.

However, it has long been whispered that Gomes is not at the club for the long haul – Manchester United have been keeping tabs on him since last season and he has also been of interest to Crystal Palace, Tottenham and even French side Lyon since his days at Brazilian outfit Flamengo.

However, one club trumps all others, and that is Antonio Conte’s Napoli, the current reigning champions of Italy. They have become an elite side in the last couple of years and, with Conte at the helm, seem destined to reach even greater heights.

The west coast club have earned a reputation for taking on Premier League outcasts and turning their careers around - it seems that outcasts are their preferred targets, perhaps because they have so much to prove at their new club.

Of course, Gomes is not an outcast at Wolves, but he is also playing at a club far below his own level - the midfielder has 10 caps for Brazil, and should not be fighting for his place in the English top flight.

João Gomes is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. He puts in top performances week in, week out. The Brazil national team are lucky to have him. He's in the team because he deserves to be there. He should be shown more respect!. 🐺 #wwfc pic.twitter.com/djO7OvCfGJ

— Chris ◣ ◢ (@wwfc_chris) July 7, 2024

Consequently, a prospective move to Napoli would provide him the chance to instead battle it out with some of Europe’s elite for the title, a position that the 24-year-old more than deserves to be in after his performances over the last three and a half seasons with Wolves.

Gomes’ contract expires at the end of the season, meaning that as of now he is free to negotiate a contract with other clubs who are lining up a free transfer at the end of the campaign. However, if Napoli want to secure him now, then he would still cost them a pretty penny, with the rumoured price tag above his head sitting at €40 million.