Wolves will reportedly sell Morgan Gibbs-White to Nottingham Forest for a fee that could total £42.5 million.
Wanderers had maintained throughout this window that they wanted to keep the 22-year-old.
He enjoyed a tremendous season with Sheffield United last term, and returned to Molineux this summer a much better player than when he left.
Bruno Lage had wanted to give Gibbs-White a more prominent role this season. He has already started him in the first two games of 2022/23.
But Forest’s intense pursuit has seen Wolves finally cave, and the player is now reportedly having a medical with the newly promoted side.
According to The Athletic, Forest will pay Wolves £25 million up front, and the rest will come in time.
Telegraph journalist John Percy has tweeted that £7-10 million of the add-ons are ‘likely’, and the rest is will be a little more difficult to achieve.
There will be some Wolves supporters who are unhappy with this development.
Gibbs-White, an academy graduate, looked really bright in pre-season and has also done OK in his first two Premier League games.
But ultimately, £44.5 million is an incredible deal to strike for someone who is still unproven in the top-flight.
Wolves may have had every intention of keeping Gibbs-White. But there can surely be no questioning the club’s decision to cash in here.
Wanderers have stood firm for a long time, and that has ultimately forced Forest to, realistically, pay way over the odds.
It’s a deal that was simply too good for Wolves to turn down.
Having signed Goncalo Guedes last week, it’s likely officials felt more comfortable making the decision.
Wolves agreeing £44.5 million deal with Forest for Gibbs-White is remarkable business
Even if Wolves were to receive just £25 million for Gibbs-White and no add-ons, that would still be good business.
But the club are receiving £25 million now, and could receive up to £20 million more in the future. As promising as he has looked in recent times, it is just a no-brainer.
Gibbs-White’s record in the Premier League is just one goal and one assist in 48 appearances.
Lage might find the deal slightly frustrating, since he was a big fan of the England U21 international.
But surely even he can’t blame the board for sanctioning the sale.