Wolves are in the market for several players to bolster their squad this summer with Juventus defender Koni De Winter popping up on their radar.
Gary O’Neil has endured two difficult transfer windows during his time at Wolves and will be hoping for a productive summer.
Of course, the 40-year-old arrived just days before the Premier League season started and was given a short amount of time to get players through the door, and as everyone knows, Wolves were restricted with their spending.
A similar narrative played out in January with the Wanderers only bringing in youngster Noha Lemina from Paris Saint-Germain.
With O’Neil left particularly short in the striker department, especially after sending two out on loan and suffering a whole host of injuries, signing a forward this summer remains a priority.
But, as exclusively revealed by Graeme Bailey, Wolves could strengthen their defence in the transfer window and it appears they’ve already got the ball rolling on that front.
Wolves send scouts to watch Juventus defender Koni De Winter
According to TuttoMercatoWeb, Wolves really like the look of Juventus defender Koni De Winter and have sent scouts to watch him on several occasions.
Currently flourishing on loan at Genoa, who have an obligation to purchase the 21-year-old for €8 million (£6.8 million), the Wanderers will likely need to negotiate a deal with the Serie A side.
The 2002-born centre-back only needs to make two more appearances this season for his loan move from Juve to be made permanent.
De Winter has been in exceptional form this term, with the report claiming that the young Belgian is “performing best” of any other player at the club after making 22 appearances in the Italian top flight.
As a result of his form, De Winter was called up to the Belgium senior side for the first time and could make his debut against the Republic of Ireland tomorrow evening.
The talented ball-playing centre-back, described as “gifted” by journalist Antonio Mango, could be the heir to Craig Dawson.
Koni De Winter could be the heir to Craig Dawson
A deal for the youngster looks a difficult one to achieve as they’ll need to convince Genoa to let him depart permanently after just signing.
If Matt Hobbs and the recruitment team at Molineux can work their magic and lure him to England, he could be the future replacement for Dawson.
While the Englishman has been a brick wall alongside Max Kilman and Toti Gomes, the 33-year-old – currently sidelined with an injury – is approaching the twilight years of his career.
It means that, while he’s still performing at a high level, he will drop off in the coming years and Wolves need to think about replacing their defensive stalwart.
As highlighted by FBref, ball-playing defender De Winter could be the answer to that solution having ranked in the top 16% of defenders in Europe for progressive carries and the top 14% for progressive passes received.
With Yerson Mosquera to come back next season and Santiago Bueno in reserve, the need to sign a centre-back isn’t as pressing as a striker but moving for De Winter is certainly an option worth considering.