Wolves: £34m star would be ‘really good’ for survival hopes at Molineux
Wolves signing could be ‘really good’ for survival hopes at Molineux.
Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in snatching Hugo Ekitike in the January window, with transfer insider Dean Jones revealing to GIVEMESPORT how likely a move would be.
Ekitike is on the radar of a number of Premier League sides, but Jones believes it could transform Wolves’ season if they are able to secure his services.
Wolverhampton Wanderers transfer news – Hugo Ekitike
Given some pre-season predictions had them finishing dead last, Wolves supporters will likely take confidence from their position in the table heading into the October international break. The West Midlands outfit have taken eight points from eight matches so far this season and are sitting in 14th place.
Granted, they remain in a relegation scrap, with Gary O’Neil’s side only four points off the bottom three, but things could’ve been much worse for Wolves. In fact, it had looked as if it was heading towards a dismal campaign for the Wanderers, however, back-to-back positive results have boosted their position in the table.
Having taken a shock three points against Manchester City last time out, Wolves backed up their stellar showing with another surprise result, this time against local rivals Aston Villa at Molineux. While they may have taken the lead against the Villans, few expected Wolves to be able to hold off a rampant Aston Villa attack, with four points from their previous two outings a healthy return.
Regardless, there is still a feeling that when the January transfer window is open for business, Wolves will need to strengthen in key areas to ensure they’re not dragged into the relegation dogfight. One of those being the centre-forward position, with Paris Saint-Germain star Ekitike mooted as a potential target.
| Wolves summer signings | Fee |
|---|---|
| Tom King – Northampton Town | Free |
| Matt Doherty – Atletico Madrid | Free |
| Tommy Doyle – Manchester City | Loan |
| Enso Gonzalez – Libertad | Undisclosed |
| Santiago Bueno – Girona | £10m |
| Boubacar Traore – Metz | £9.5m |
| Fees according to Sky Sports | |
‘That’s the type of thing that Wolves are going to have to compete with’ – Dean Jones
When asked about the Wolves links with Ekitike, transfer insider Jones admitted Wanderers had shown an interest, but questioned whether they’d be able to convince the promising striker to join a relegation candidate in the Premier League. While suggesting the competition might be too strong to hold off, the reliable reporter did claim that Wolves would give it their best shot:
How much is Hugo Ekitike likely to cost Wolverhampton Wanderers?
It’s not too long since Ekitike signed on the dotted line to join PSG, with the expectation having now shifted towards the forward leaving the club in the not-too-distant future. The striker cost the French outfit an initial £28 million back in the summer of 2022, with PSG liable to pay his former club Stade de Reims a further £6 million in bonuses.
A rather modest amount in the grand scheme of PSG’s transfer business, it’s claimed that because the Ligue 1 outfit didn’t have to shell that much out to sign him initially, they could be willing to let him go for a reasonable price. Reports in France during the recent summer transfer window indicated that Ekitike might have been allowed to leave for around £34 million, with West Ham having been one of the clubs sniffing around him during that time.
Of course, Ekitike remained a PSG player, but could he be about to swap Paris for the West Midlands?
Should Wolverhampton Wanderers sign Hugo Ekitike?
Should the opportunity to sign Ekitike present itself to Wolves, it would be crazy for them not to take PSG up on the offer. The issue they might run into however is whether the player himself is open to a move to the club.
Wolves are unlikely to be competing for European positions this season, given their mixed start to the Premier League campaign. As such, a highly-rated young forward like Ekitike may seek a move to a club where he’s able to fulfil his ambitions of winning silverware and playing on the continent.
There is also the issue of FFP for Wolves to contend with, after a transfer window blighted by financial problems. Those woes were eased somewhat with the £53 million sale of Matheus Nunes to City, but whether that has raised enough cash to fund the Ekitike transfer remains to be seen.
