Wolves Set to Step Up Talks with Borussia Dortmund Over Exit of Fabio Silva as Serie A Dream Fades
Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly preparing to accelerate transfer negotiations with Borussia Dortmund over the potential sale of Fabio Silva, a player once considered among Europe’s brightest attacking prospects but whose career has taken several twists in recent seasons.
Silva, who endured an underwhelming six-month loan spell with Scottish Premiership side Rangers last season, is now on the verge of securing a high-profile move to Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund. His parent club, Wolves, are said to be keen on offloading the 23-year-old Portuguese striker this summer as he enters the final year of his contract.
The forward’s time at Ibrox failed to live up to expectations, with the former Porto prodigy struggling to adapt to the physical nature and intensity of Scottish football. However, a recent resurgence in Spain has sparked renewed interest in the player. During his loan spell with La Liga outfit Las Palmas last season, Silva found his scoring touch again, registering 10 goals in 25 appearances. Despite his individual improvement, it wasn’t enough to save the Gran Canaria-based side from relegation to the Segunda División.
Wolves originally splashed out a club-record £35 million to sign Silva from FC Porto in 2020, but the ambitious move has not yielded the expected returns. The young striker has found consistent first-team football hard to come by at Molineux and has instead been farmed out on loan over the past three seasons to clubs in Belgium, the Netherlands, Scotland, and Spain.
Now, with Wolves eager to recoup a portion of their investment, the club are open to letting Silva depart permanently. Reports suggest the West Midlands outfit are seeking a transfer fee in the region of €20–25 million (£17.4m–£21.7m), which would mark a significant loss on their initial outlay.
While Serie A side AS Roma have long been linked with the versatile attacker — and it’s believed that playing in Italy has always been Silva’s personal ambition — negotiations with the Giallorossi have not progressed, with no formal bid tabled to date. That has left the door open for Dortmund, who appear to be moving swiftly to secure the player’s services.
According to transfer insider Sacha Tavolieri, the German giants have already submitted a five-year contract proposal to Silva and are expected to meet with Wolves and the player’s representatives in the coming days to push the deal forward. Tavolieri posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter):
> “EXCLUSIVE: Borussia Dortmund offered a 5-year contract to Fabio Silva! A meeting will take place this week between Wolverhampton & player side to advance on a permanent move to #BVB. Player’s dream was to play in Italy with AS Roma keen on him but no concrete offer yet. #mercato #WWFC”
Dortmund, who are anticipating the departure of striker Sebastien Haller before the transfer window shuts, are actively seeking reinforcements up front to provide depth and competition for new first-choice striker Serhou Guirassy. Club officials see Silva as a player with untapped potential who could flourish in the right system under the guidance of their coaching staff.
If the deal goes through, Silva would join a growing list of high-profile players to leave Wolves this summer, following in the footsteps of Matheus Cunha, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Nelson Semedo, Pablo Sarabia, and Goncalo Guedes — all of whom have moved on as part of a significant squad overhaul under manager Vitor Pereira.
Silva’s Wolves record currently stands at five goals and six assists in 72 appearances across all competitions — a modest return given his price tag and early promise. However, a fresh start at a Champions League-level club like Dortmund could offer the striker a vital second chance to reignite his career on a major stage.