Wolves join Everton in transfer race for promising defender, Vitor Pereira tried to sign him in January

Wolves can now look ahead to the summer transfer window after almost confirming their Premier League status for another season.

Wolves head into their match with Manchester United on Sunday, 13 points clear of the relegation zone with only six matches left.

All credit has to go to Vitor Pereira who has performed miracles after Gary O’Neil exited Wolves with his side four points adrift of safety following just two wins from 16 matches.

There’s no surprise that links have already surfaced ahead of the summer as Wolves have shown an interest in Milan Skriniar, suggesting that defence is an area Pereira still wants to strengthen.

That is because the Old Gold have been linked with another defender, and it’s someone they attempted to sign during the January transfer window.

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Wolves and Everton in race to sign Clement Akpa

In January, Wolves were the second highest spenders as only Manchester City accrued more in transfer fees. Pereira managed to sign three players, including Emmanuel Agbadou, Nasser Djiga and Marshall Munetsi.

It turned out to be a transformative month for the club as the likes of Agbadou and Munetsi have been important members of the squad.

The duo arrived from the French top division and weren’t the only players that Pereira targeted from Ligue 1, as Wolves had Clement Akpa on their radar.

But, as they signed two defenders during that window, a deal for the 23-year-old Auxerre centre-back was out on the back burner.

That was until now, as Foot Mercato have reported that the Old Gold and Premier League rivals Everton have shown an interest in Akpa.

Auxerre have accepted that Akpa is ‘almost certain’ to depart, and while the player’s value is rising, no price tag has been set on the ‘promising’ defender who has made 26 appearances in Ligue 1 this term.

Wolves centre-back depth examined

A centre-back being on the radar is hardly a surprise, as it’s still an area of the pitch that needs surgery. Pereira left Craig Dawson out of his Premier League squad, while Santiago Bueno has dropped down the pecking order.

Dawson will leave the club once his contract expires in June and it wouldn’t be a shock to see Bueno get transfer listed, as he doesn’t possess the required physicality.

That leaves Matt Doherty, Agbadou, Toti Gomes, Djiga and the injured Yerson Mosquera as his options, with the latter set to return in pre-season.

The current back three of Doherty, Agbadou and Toti is settled, but given how good he was before his injury, the young Colombian will pose a challenge to the defence alongside Djiga.

So, with five solid options to select from, Pereira could complete his defensive depth by signing one more, and that could well be Akpa.