Wolves will be in the market for new attackers this summer, with Harvey Elliott thought to be of interest.
Wolves are expected to lose Matheus Cunha for the value of his release clause, and a number of others could follow him out the door.
Pablo Sarabia’s contract is expiring, and he stands to leave Wolves as a free agent.
Goncalo Guedes, Hwang Hee-chan and Carlos Forbs could all leave as well, so the forward positions and two number 10 roles are likely going to need a bit of attention.
Elliott is on Wolves’ transfer radar heading into the summer.
But a potential stumbling block is that Liverpool value Elliott over £40 million, and it is rare for Wolves to spend that kind of money on a single player.
But potentially, there could be an opportunity for Wolves this summer to bring in a similar profile of player, but for a significantly lower fee.
James McAtee available for £25m this summer, after previous Wolves transfer links
James McAtee has been involved with Manchester City’s first-team this season.
He and Nico O’Reilly were both promoted ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, and have each made a handful of appearances.
McAtee, though, is being lined up for a sale this summer, with City looking to rebuild their squad.
According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, City want around £25 million for McAtee, making him considerably cheaper than Elliott.
Interestingly, Wolves have actually shown interest in McAtee before.
In the summer of 2023, Wolves made an approach to sign McAtee on the watch of Julen Lopetegui, but were rebuffed. He ended up moving to Sheffield United on loan.
Lopetegui, of course, would then walk away from Wolves just days before the start of the 2023/24 campaign, out of frustration over player recruitment plans.
Wolves have not yet been linked with a move for McAtee going into the summer 2025 window.
But with Liverpool looking like they’ll make it difficult for clubs to sign Elliott, this may be an opportunity for Wolves, especially given he’s a player the club have already looked at.
How McAtee has done for Man City in 2024/25
McAtee has not been a regular starter at City in 2024/25, but he’s still been handed opportunities by Pep Guardiola.
In total, he’s made 27 appearances for 936 minutes. Respectably, he’s scored seven goals, with three coming in the Premier League. Data from the current season indicates that he is a very similar player to Elliott, so Wolves may well find a good alternative in him.
While there is talk that McAtee could be moved on, Guardiola has been quite complimentary about McAtee.
He said only a couple of weeks ago (via mancity.com): “Macca has this quality, he could’ve scored four goals [against Palace]. He has the ability to create chances, he is there.
“Macca lives close to the box, quite similar to Phil and they are there. They have a sense [of goal], it’s difficult to train in the moment the ball is coming and after he didn’t score but it’s fine. As much minutes he plays he will score.”
Guardiola also stated that he wanted McAtee to stay, but it remains to be seen if the youngster will do that considering the level of interest in him.
| James McAtee for Man City in 2024/25 |
| Appearances – 27 |
| Minutes played – 936 |
| Goals – 7 |
| Assists – 0 |
Apparently Nottingham Forest, West Ham United, Crystal Palace and Bayer Leverkusen are all keen. So Wolves would have work to do if they were to get involved.
But there’d surely be a better chance of signing him over Elliott, and Wolves and City have also done business together recently, with Matheus Nunes going to the Etihad Stadium and Tommy Doyle coming to Molineux.