A defender Wolves have been linked with as a possible replacement for Max Kilman has now emerged as a target for a club who won the league in 2023/24.
Wanderers are expected to land a replacement for Kilman, who was sold for £40 million to West Ham United.
At the moment, Gary O’Neil has Craig Dawson, Toti Gomes and Santiago Bueno as his centre-back options. And it is thought Yerson Mosquera will be a first-team option for 2024/25.
The Colombia international has already impressed in pre-season, with journalist Nathan Judah having described him as ‘a Rolls-Royce’ after seeing him in the training game against Como 1907.
There have been a few reports linking Wolves to new defenders.
And one player who was recently said to be of interest was the Croatia international Josip Sutalo – but Wanderers now face come potentially big competition.
Wolves target Josip Sutalo is wanted by Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen
German publication Kicker has reported that Sutalo is now a target for the reigning Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.
Leverkusen amazed everyone last season, with Xabi Alonso almost guiding them the whole season unbeaten. They did go unbeaten in the league, but lost the Europa League final to Atalanta.
They have set their sights on Sutalo, and this comes amid speculation that their centre-back Jonathan Tah is wanted by Bayern Munich and Manchester United.
Wolves are said to have placed Sutalo on their list of targets, following the sale of Kilman. Apparently, he could be available for around £12.6 million this summer.
The player has not settled in the Netherlands with Ajax following his move to them from Dinamo Zagreb, so he could be on the move after just one season.
It is mentioned by Kicker that part of the reason for Sutalo’s struggles in the Netherlands was that the player can only speak English ‘to a limited extent’, and that communication was an issue. This could be a potential problem for Wolves if the club did still wish to pursue him.
Sutalo to Wolves looking very unlikely
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Following the initial claim that Wolves had some interest in Sutalo, it has all been very quiet and now, there is word of interest from Leverkusen.
So at this stage, a move to Molineux for Sutalo doesn’t seem particularly likely.
A move to Leverkusen is bound to appeal, since they can offer Champions League football. They are also under the stewardship of one of the game’s most in-demand managers in Alonso.
We will see if he pushes for a move there. But there are some good potential alternatives out there for Wolves.
Nico Elvedi is a player who’s been on Wolves’ radar for a while now, and he might just be the solid, ball-playing defender O’Neil needs. At £8.5 million, he would not break the bank either.