Wolves will soon turn their attention to the summer transfer window, with one player already identified as a cost-effective option for Gary O’Neil to target.
There will be hope that the 2024 summer transfer window will be more impactful than last year for Wolves, as Gary O’Neil eyes much-needed reinforcements ahead of next season.
The Old Gold will be eager to welcome new faces in a bid to bolster the squad on show at Molineux, with lack of depth being a significant problem for the manager to battle throughout the 2023/24 calendar.
READ MORE: Wolves player ratings for the season so far
While it’s expected that the Midlands club will still be on a tight budget, a strategy must be implemented to welcome new players to the squad, with one target identified as a player of interest to Wolves ahead of the transfer window.
Wolves interested in Athletic Bilbao winger Alex Berenguer
As reported by Spanish outlet, El Correo, Wolves are one of the clubs interested in winger Alex Berenguer, who is due to become a free agent in the summer.
While there is still hope from the point of Athletic Bilbao that the Spaniard will sign a new deal, a host of clubs are said to be on standby in the instance that the 28-year-old becomes available at the end of the season.
The report explains that the dynamic forward ‘has offers’ from Premier League sides; Brentford, Crystal Palace and Wolves, naming the Old Gold as a potential suitor.
It’s still uncertain whether the Copa del Rey winner will leave Bilbao when his contract expires in June, although, he is certainly a player that Wolves could find joy in acquiring.
Alex Berenguer could be the ideal Pablo Sarabia replacement for Gary O’Neil
Links to Berenguer come at an interesting time for Wolves, with a number of O’Neil’s attackers speculated with a move away in the summer.
One player who could depart Molineux at the end of the season is Pablo Sarabia, whom journalist Steve Madeley admitted has a future that is ‘less certain’ at Wolves due to him entering the final year of his current deal, via The Athletic.
If Sarabia were to leave, a player like Berenguer could act as the perfect replacement, being an attacker with impressive adaptability and the ability to influence games from the bench.
Once lauded as being ‘versatile’ by former boss Gaizka Garitano, the rumoured Wolves target is deployable on both the left and right flank, as well as being flexible to play centrally, having the marvellous skill of being able to play with both feet.
How Pablo Sarabia compares to Alex Berenguer based on 2023/24 league form
Similarly to the role of Sarabia at Molineux, the Bilbao gem has shown he can be relied on over the years, playing a sporadic role behind the exciting talent of Nico Williams.
Picking up £90k-a-week at Wolves, now would be the time for Fosun and O’Neil to weigh up the future of Sarabia, who has been in poor form of late, adding question marks over whether he is worth the fortune the club are paying to maintain him.
As seen in the table above, the similarities in the pair suggest that in offloading the former PSG star and signing Berenguer, the Old Gold could save on the wage bill whilst bolstering the squad ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
With competition expected for Berenguer, if he is to depart Athletic Bilbao, it will be interesting to see just how highly Wolves regard his talent, in what could be a valuable swoop for the Premier League side to make.