Wolves have been quiet in the transfer market over the past month or so, but it now looks like the club are taking steps for another signing.
Wanderers got off to a great start this summer by bringing in three new faces.
Rodrigo Gomes, Jorgen Strand Larsen and Pedro Lima all arrived, and Tommy Doyle also turned his loan move from Manchester City permanent.
Fans were delighted by this decisiveness.
But just lately things have really quietened down and at the weekend, Pedro Neto was sold to Chelsea.
That sale has now prompted some to voice their concerns. It remains to be seen if he will be replaced.
But for now, it looks like Wolves have eyes on a player who plays a totally different position, with highly rated Nantes defender Bastien Meupiyou the subject of a bid.
Wolves take steps to sign Bastien Meupiyou from Nantes
It has been reported by the E&S this morning that Wolves are now in talks with Nantes over a potential deal to sign Bastien Meupiyou.
The club are said to have made a bid of £4.26 million. It was reported last week that Wolves had submitted a first bid of around £3.4 million.
Meupiyou is said to have been courted by a number of clubs this summer. Previously, it was claimed by journalist Fabrice Hawkins that Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City were monitoring the youngster.
But Wolves are said to be hopeful that their track record of developing young players and providing pathways at the club for them will convince him to sign.
Paris-born Meupiyou joined Nantes’ youth academy back in 2019.
He has developed well in the youth ranks at Nantes, but he did have a professional debut to forget back in September 2023. He got sent off against Marseille after just nine minutes, making him the second-youngest player in the league’s history to receive a red card.
That remains his one and only first-team appearance for Nantes. But Meupiyou has impressed with the youth teams, playing as both a centre-back and a defensive midfielder.
Wolves could yet sign an experienced centre-back on top of Meupiyou
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Meupiyou is very much in keeping with the kind of player Wolves want to sign these days. He is a young talent with a high ceiling, and there will be a feeling that he can develop at Molineux and be worth a fortune in the years to come.
The 18-year-old could be a great pick-up, and we shall see if Nantes are ready to accept Wolves’ latest bid.
But Wanderers really could do with adding a centre-back with experience to the squad before the window closes. Thankfully, this does seem to be the plan, with the E&S reporting Wolves ‘will still target a senior and more experienced centre-back this summer even if they sign Meupiyou’.
Toti Gomes and Yerson Mosquera have potential as a pairing. But neither player has a great deal of experience – Toti in terms of playing in a back four, and Mosquera hasn’t yet made his Premier League debut.
Craig Dawson struggled with injuries last term and the jury is still out on Santi Bueno, so O’Neil could surely do with a centre-back with decent experience on top of Meupiyou.