Wolves have reportedly turned down a £47 million bid from Manchester City for Matheus Nunes.
Pep Guardiola’s team is looking to strengthen their midfield, but Wolves immediately rejected their proposal.
The Premier League champions intend to make another bid, but their initial offer is considerably lower than what the Midlands club is expecting, according to The Telegraph.
Kevin de Bruyne’s extended injury, along with Ilkay Gundogan’s move to Barcelona earlier this summer, has left the treble winners in search of another midfielder.
Losing Nunes, one of their top players who signed from Sporting CP for a club-record £38 million on a five-year deal last summer, would be another setback in what seems like a challenging season ahead for Wolves. They have already lost several high-profile players.
Fulham acquired striker Raul Jimenez for £5.5 million, Ruben Neves joined the Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal for a club-record £47 million, Leicester took on Conor Coady for £7.5 million, and Brentford signed Nathan Collins for £23 million.
Gary O’Neil replaced Julen Lopetegui just days before the start of the Premier League season after the Spanish manager resigned.
Lopetegui saved the struggling Midlands outfit last season, guiding them from the bottom to 13th place in the Premier League.
The 56-year-old seemed discontented at the club this summer, admitting he had ‘no control’ over their transfer plans while stating that they ‘need more players’.
Back in May, he mentioned some “Financial Fair Play problems I didn’t know before” and grew frustrated with their scaled-back approach to the transfer market. Wolves posted losses of around £46.1 million last year.
The club’s parent company, Fosun Sports Group, announced in May that they were seeking new support to remain competitive in the league.
While that search for funding was for the group itself, it would clearly have a ripple effect on the football club.
Lopetegui felt it was insufficient. He told Guillem Balague’s podcast: “We resorted to a plan B, trying to consider cost-effective players, but we can’t even develop this plan. We lost many players, and we think the club wants to sell more players.
“It’s a pity because you are expecting key players to arrive at any moment, and in the end, they don’t come for different reasons. We were enthusiastic about this new plan, but now we don’t have this plan because we don’t have any new players.”