One of Wolves’ transfer targets had fun against Lionel Messi during the Club World Cup.
The Old Gold might not be at the tournament, but that hasn’t dented interest in the ongoing action in the United States.
Several former Wolves players are at the Club World Cup, including newly sold Rayan Ait-Nouri, who starred on his Manchester City debut.
As well as ex-players, a handful of targets linked with a move to Molineux are on show at the competition, one of which is Richard Rios.
Inter Miami CF v SE Palmeiras: Group A - FIFA Club World Cup 2025
Photo by Carmen Mandato – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Richard Rios impresses against Lionel Messi
During the January transfer window, Rios was sounded out as a target for Wolves as Vitor Pereira considered options to bolster his midfield.
The 25-year-old Colombian had been impressing in Brazil with Palmeiras to generate attention in the West Midlands, and his Club World Cup displays have followed suit.
Rios enjoyed a superb game against Porto in Palmeiras’ opener at the tournament and was equally as good against Al Ahly.
A real test came for the midfielder on matchday three, as Palmeiras faced a star-studded Inter Miami side, seeing the Wolves target go toe-to-toe with Lionel Messi.
Richard Rios vs Inter Miami
71 touches
94% successful passes
100% successful long balls
100% successful crosses
1 shot
4 duel wins
3 fouls drawn
3 interceptions
Richard Rios’ statistics vs Inter Miami at the Club World Cup – Sofascore
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As seen through his numbers above, Rios was at the heart of all things positive for Palmeiras through the middle of the pitch, where he outperformed Messi in an array of metrics.
The Colombia international completed more long balls and crosses than the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and also drew more fouls, proving that he was a force that Miami struggled to contain.
With eye-catching performances against the best of the best comes attention, and unfortunately, it’s not only Wolves’ heads who have been turned.
SE Palmeiras v FC Porto: Group A - FIFA Club World Cup 2025
Photo by Carl Recine – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Why Wolves are unlikely to land Rios
The Express relayed the news that Manchester United have made Rios a target this summer to bolster Ruben Amorim’s midfield.
Tottenham and Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain have also been credited with an interest, which surely puts the midfielder out of Wolves’ reach.
It’s not only a case of rival clubs being able to offer a more appealing package to the player, but to Palmeiras too.
The Brazilian side ideally want £85m for Rios, a fee that the club now know is possible as interest from wealthy overseas clubs has been reported.
Wolves are likely to be outpriced by those who are paying attention to the Colombian, leaving Pereira’s chances of securing his target rather slim.