Several of Gary O’Neil’s top talents at Wolves are rumoured to have generated interest from Premier League clubs this summer.
Most of the focus at Wolves this summer has been on arrivals, as four players have already committed their futures to Molineux.
Tommy Doyle, Rodrigo Gomes, Pedro Lima and Jorgen Strand Larsen represent the first captures of the 2024/25 campaign, with hopefully more to come.
As well as aiming to bolster his squad in the market, Gary O’Neil will be desperate to retain his best players although, one talent is rumoured to be wanted by a Champions League club.
Wolves learn Liverpool stance on transfer target Rayan Ait-Nouri
Max Kilman’s future has been spoken about most in recent weeks, as Julen Lopetegui hopes to recruit the defender at West Ham.
As well as the Englishman, Pedro Neto has generated interest, with Rayan Ait-Nouri’s future now questioned with reference to Premier League rivals Liverpool.
Speaking on Anfield Index’s transfer round-up, journalist and Liverpool expert Dave Davis relayed that there are ‘definitely legs’ in the Reds’ interest in Ait-Nouri.
“There was a story by an Algerian journalist saying that Ait-Nouri was wanted by a lot of clubs, but Liverpool is the defender’s first choice.
“Definitely legs in this one, just because he’s been linked so frequently and Liverpool have a good relationship with his agents. So I think that there’s definitely something in that.”
It’s an interesting update given that there has been an understanding that Ait-Nouri is unlikely to leave Wolves this summer, however, anything can happen before the deadline.
Losing Ait-Nouri would be a nightmare for Gary O’Neil
O’Neil saved Wolves millions by simply reviving Ait-Nouri’s career at Molineux, as Lopetegui didn’t see the value in the Algerian.
Last season, the 23-year-old emerged as one of the manager’s top performers, playing an integral role in Wolves’ progression under O’Neil.
The only problem with Ait-Nouri’s rise to prominence is the attention that it brings, with the versatile full-back being an incredibly difficult figure to replace.
Capable of playing in attack and defence, the vast skill set of the Algeria international is not easy to come by, particularly considering Wolves’ slim budget.
The ideal scenario would be for the Old Gold to keep hold of the defender for next term, to allow him to develop even more to boost a future transfer fee, with his quality indispensable to O’Neil’s squad.
It’s difficult to imagine that the Wolves boss would be willing to part ways with the defender at any price this summer, given the role he played last year at Molineux.
