Wolves have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of a £25m star at Molineux.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have been dealt a blow in the race to sign Bristol City midfielder Alex Scott at Molineux, as talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook provides the latest information to GIVEMESPORT.
Julen Lopetegui is yet to see Wolves pay a transfer fee for any incoming signings this summer as he aims to avoid a second consecutive relegation battle.
Wolves transfer news – Alex Scott
It’s been a tumultuous summer at Molineux, with the transfer window beginning with Lopetegui’s future at Wolves up in the air.
However, The Telegraph’s John Percy confirmed in June that the Spaniard was committed to the club’s project, despite financial difficulties that he and the fanbase had previously been unaware of.
But since then, Wolves have signed just two players, both on free transfers, whilst letting go of some of their top talent, including Portugal midfielder Ruben Neves, who leaves for a club-record income of £47m to Al-Hilal.
Last month, Wanderers had their second bid for Bristol City midfielder Scott turned down, the latter of which was worth £20m.
However, last week the Express & Star’s Liam Keen claimed that Wolves’ move for the 19-year-old star hangs in the balance, given the club’s concerns around Financial Fair Play this summer.
Transfer insider Dean Jones has recently told GIVEMESPORT that Wolves intend to make a third bid for Scott but are hamstrung by FFP concerns.
And Crook believes that Bournemouth are more likely to pip Wolves to the signature of last season’s Championship Young Player of the Season, given Wanderers’ inability to stump together the funds to sign the starlet.
What has Crook said about Wolves and Scott?
Providing the latest news on Wolves’ pursuit of Scott, Crook told GIVEMESPORT: “At the moment, they can’t afford him. I think Bournemouth are looking at the price tag and thinking, ‘Do we want to go that high?’ Because they want £25m.
“I think Bournemouth and Wolves see him as more of a £18m-£20m player. I’m not even sure Wolves have got that. Lopetegui has been quite vocal about their financial issues. And when I last checked in, the vibe I got back was that they didn’t have the funds to do the deals.
“So, I think Bournemouth are more likely, but again, there’s haggling to do with Bristol City.”
What next for Wolves this summer?
Concrete rumours for signings are now few and far between as Wolves focus on sorting out their cash-flow issues behind the scenes.
According to The Telegraph, Wolves are looking to sell winger Daniel Podence and full-back Jonny Castro Otto to raise funds to sign players but are unlikely to capture much over £10m for each player.
Meanwhile, Foot Mercato (via Talking Wolves) claims that Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice are interested in Wanderers and Algeria left-back Ryan Ait-Nouri.
However, a deal for the 22-year-old is ‘complicated’, and the French side could move on to alternative targets during the transfer window.
On incomings, The Sun’s Konstantinos Lianos reports that Wolves are battling West Ham United to sign Stuttgart centre-back Dinos Mavropanos, formerly of Arsenal.
The defender could replace Nathan Collins, who left Molineux to join Brentford earlier this summer.
