Who is Rodrigo Pinheiro? Everything you need to know about Wolves’ latest target

Wolverhampton Wanderers are very close to sealing the signing of rising star Rodrigo Pinheiro, who could be Cesar Peixoto’s first signing at the club.

The 23-year-old right-back was a regular for Famalicao throughout the 2025-26 campaign and made 29 appearances as they finished fifth in the top-flight.

Reports have confirmed that Peixoto has already approved the signing ahead of his expected appointment at Molineux.

This news comes amid rumours that Kieran Trippier could rip up his contract at the Old Gold club after the sudden sacking of Rob Edwards this week.

The former Newcastle United defender is reportedly unhappy at Edwards’ dismissal just days after the right-back signed for the club.

Now, Pinheiro could offer some serious competition for Trippier next season, with the 23-year-old establishing himself as one of the best right-backs in Liga Portugal in the 2025-26 campaign.

Everything you need to know about Rodrigo Pinheiro

Pinheiro initially came through Vitoria Sport Clube’s academy, where he heavily impressed.

As a result, he earned a move to Porto in 2017 and eventually made his debut for Porto B in 2019.

For the next five years, the right-back, who can also play left-back, would become a regular at the Portuguese giants’ academy side, before he eventually made the move to Famalicao in 2024.

Here, he quickly established himself in the first-team and helped the club achieve a seventh-place finish in the Portuguese top-flight.

In the 2025-26 campaign, he was one of the stars of the team as they finished fifth in the table, narrowly missing out on European football as Famalicao end the season on a 12-match league unbeaten run.

On top of this, Pinheiro has also played regularly for Portugal’s academy sides, and picked up seven caps for their Under 21s, and scored once.

Therefore, if Flashscore’s report on 12 June is true, Wolves could have a real player on their hands.

How good is Pinheiro?

According to Fotmob on 13 June, Pinheiro has some fantastic stats.

The right-back averaged 0.11 goals, 0.07 assists, 0.95 chances created, 1.86 touches in the opposition box, 2.03 tackles and 0.49 clean sheets per 90 minutes in the top-flight this season.

Therefore, not only is Pinheiro effective defensively, but he is also capable of having an impact in attack.

As a result, if Wolves can convince Trippier to stay, the club may have the two best right-backs in the Championship at their disposal.