Wolves make contact to sign £230,000-p/w ace once compared to Lionel Messi
Wolverhampton Wanderers have made a late enquiry to sign a new winger to replace Pedro Neto after the Portuguese ace completed a move to Chelsea last week, it has emerged.
Wolves get off to losing start
Gary O’Neil’s side were handed a tough Premier League opening day assignment as they travelled to north London to take on last season’s title challengers Arsenal, and the result largely went as expected.
The Gunners scored in each half to secure all three points courtesy of a 2-0 win, but it wasn’t a game without encouragement for Wolves. Despite losing Neto to Chelsea just days before the new campaign kicked off, new striker Jorgen Strand Larsen was impressive and saw a headed effort brilliantly saved by David Raya, while Matheus Cunha will feel he should have done better when he fired straight at Arsenal’s no.1.
But it remains clear that more reinforcements are needed for the Old Gold this summer, with O’Neil sending a warning to those above him about just that when quizzed on potential additions.
“No real update on names linked, it’s a ruthless league and we have an opportunity to be really clever and get some stuff done, the next 2 weeks is big for us…you take £100m last summer, you take £100m this summer, you can’t stand still,” he explained.
One of the names linked has been Ajax forward Carlos Forbs, who is thought to be open to a potential move to Molineux. Now, the Old Gold have been linked with another winger who could provide some much-needed impetus to their frontline.
Wolves enquire for winger once compared to Lionel Messi
That comes with Wolves having reported made an enquiry over the possibility of signing Barcelona outcast Ansu Fati on loan for the upcoming campaign.
The Spaniard took Lionel Messi’s no.10 shirt at the Camp Nou and was widely considered the heir to the Argentine’s throne for the Blaugrana and was compared to the Argentine, only for injuries to derail his fledgling career.
Still just 21 years old, the Spaniard spent last season on loan in the Premier League with Brighton, making 27 appearances for Roberto De Zerbi’s side but often used from the substitutes bench as he battled a thigh injury.
Now back at Barcelona, he has been made surplus to requirements as the Catalan side look to offload his £230,000-per-week wages, and reports in Spain have revealed that O’Neil’s side have lodged an enquiry to sign him on loan, though they face competition from the likes of Fenerbahce, Sevilla and Marseille.
Though a deal may seem far-fetched on the face of it, it is worth remembering that Fati is represented by super agent Jorge Mendes, who has a strong working relationship with Wolves and has sent no shortage of stars to Molineux since their promotion to the Premier League.
When fit, he is still a game-changer, with ex-Barcelona teammate Eric Garcia hailing him as a “magic” attacker back in 2022.
“Ansu is one of these players that are born with that talent and that magic”, he explained. “Let’s hope that the injuries respect him, because in 20 minutes he’s demonstrated how he can help this team.”
Still just 21, a loan move could help him flourish if he can overcome his injuries.
