Wolves are in talks over a transfer for RC Lens centre-back Kevin Danso but, is it what the player wants?
The Old Gold sit in the bottom three of the Premier League table with 15 games to go, putting pressure on the board to support in the January transfer window.
Matt Hobbs ensured he would support Vitor Pereira on the transfer front, with there a clear demand from the Wolves manager over January signings.
Pereira wants more signings before the end of the transfer window, with centre-back target Kevin Danso in the pipeline.
Kevin Danso’s career ‘goal’ is playing in European competitions
Wolves have been eyeing Danso for some time, with it initially thought that the Old Gold had moved on from their winter target.
It was reported that Danso had rejected Wolves earlier in the window however, that hasn’t stopped the Premier League club from trying.
Wolves submitted a £16m bid to RC Lens in the hope of signing their primary target but, so far, it’s not going to plan.
Lens rejected Wolves’ bid for Danso, making it clear that the French side aren’t willing to sell the 26-year-old this winter.
As well as the stumbling blocks around the transfer, there are also some issues regarding the Austrian’s desires, admitted by the player himself.
Speaking to The Athletic in 2022, Danso expressed his ‘goal’ to play in European competitions ‘rather than just league matches’.
“Playing against PSG and the top teams is what I look forward to but I want to get to a stage where it’s the occasion I am looking forward to,” he said.
“Such as European competitions, rather than just league matches, that is the goal I have set myself.”
Having spent time establishing himself at Lens, it would be a surprise to see the defender join Wolves based on his previous admission regarding how he wants his future to look.
Can Wolves sell the project to transfer targets?
Right now, Wolves sit in the bottom three having lost four consecutive Premier League games, derailing Pereira’s record-breaking start as manager.
At the same time, the club are trying to lure transfer targets to Molineux in a bid to save the season, which must be more difficult given how poorly this campaign has been.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 13 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 23 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 26 | 30 | -4 | 27 |
| 14 |  West HamWest Ham | 23 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 28 | 44 | -16 | 27 |
| 15 |  TottenhamTottenham | 23 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 46 | 37 | 9 | 24 |
| 16 |  EvertonEverton | 22 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 19 | 28 | -9 | 23 |
| 17 |  LeicesterLeicester | 23 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 25 | 49 | -24 | 17 |
| 18 |  WolvesWolves | 23 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 32 | 52 | -20 | 16 |
| 19 |  IpswichIpswich | 23 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 21 | 47 | -26 | 16 |
| 20 |  SouthamptonSouthampton | 23 | 1 | 3 | 19 | 16 | 53 | -37 | 6 |
For targets such as Danso, who is comfortable in Ligue 1 with Lens, and could secure European football this season, it’s difficult to imagine just how Fosun, Jeff Shi and Hobbs could sell the project to the ambitious 26-year-old.
Danso, like every player, wants to play at the highest level and, given the reputation he’s built at Lens and where the French club are headed, Wolves would have to push rather hard.
Trading the prospect of achieving European football for the possibility of relegation to the English second tier is a decision only Danso can make.