Wolves are looking to have a productive next few weeks in the transfer window following a quiet past few weeks.
After signing Fer Lopez, Wolves haven’t been up to much regarding incomings.
Speculation has continued to swirl, but the Spaniard remains Wolves’ only signing of the window.
But Liam Keen reported last week that Wolves were close to a couple of deals, and following that, there were then a flurry of reports of interest in Jhon Arias.
Wolves fans would love to see Arias sign, given the likelihood he could make an immediate impact and his versatility.
So far this summer there have been a lot of reports linking Wolves to players from South America, which is a market the club have been turned to a lot more in recent times.
And one player who has been on Wolves’ radar this year is Richard Rios, although there haven’t been too many updates with him over the last few weeks – until now.
Wolves fail with Richard Rios transfer bid
Wolves are in the market for a new midfielder this summer, after loaning out Tommy Doyle.
Andre and Joao Gomes are nailed on starters, but the exit of Doyle frees up a space, and Boubacar Traore may also yet head out on loan.
Richard Rios of Palmeiras has been on Wolves’ radar for a while now. Apparently, the club had eyes on him as far back as January.
And last night, journalist Gianluigi Longari reported that Wolves actually tabled a £25 million transfer bid for the player – but it was rejected.
Nottingham Forest – managed of course by Nuno Espirito Santo – also failed with a slightly bigger bid.
AS Roma are also in the frame to sign Rios, but have also failed with a bid.
Longari reported: “The Colombian continues to be a priority for #Roma. The Giallorossi have submitted an offer that was rejected by Palmeiras.
“The Brazilians have also rejected an offer from Wolverhampton #wwfc for £25m in recent hours. The highest offer (so far rejected) is from Nottingham Forest #NFFC for £26m.”
Rios approach may see Wolves use three midfielders in 2025/26
If there is any truth in this claim that Wolves bid £25 million for Rios, then that is fascinating.
We know that Andre and Gomes are essentially undroppable for Wolves these days. So that would suggest any new midfielder arriving at the club would become, at best, third in the pecking order.
That said, some snaps from Wolves’ training camp out in Portugal have shown Pereira’s tactics board – and it appeared to show three midfielders playing at once. Perhaps that won’t be Wolves’ regular formation, but it is interesting to consider.
We have seen it on occasion in recent times.
Under Nuno, we saw Leander Dendoncker come in and play alongside Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho.
We have also seen, in more recent times, Mario Lemina or Andre and Gomes playing with Doyle as a three.
Wolves being willing to spend £25 million on a new midfielder would certainly point towards a more regular use of a three-man midfield.
But Palmeiras clearly want more money, so we’ll have to wait and see if Wolves return with a higher offer.