Every player linked with transfer from Wolves as Lopetegui rebuilds squad

Wolves captain Ruben Neves has moved on in a £47m deal to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal. But which other players could follow him out of the door at Molineux?

The Neves sale won’t go the whole way to helping the club comply with Financial Fair Play restrictions so more sales are likely to help manager Julen Lopetegui rebuild the squad in preparation for the new Premier League season. Here are the Wolves players who have been linked with moves away this summer.

Jose Sa: The 30 year old Portuguese keeper is reportedly among the players Wolves would allow to leave this summer as they look to raise funds to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations. Sa has clocked up 73 Premier League starts since his £6.25m move from Olympiakos in the summer of 2021 on a five-year deal. But if he were to move on, Wolves would need to sign a replacement to compete with Dan Bentley.

Matija Sarkic : The third choice keeper is reportedly wanted by Stoke City after spending the second half of last season on loan in the Potteries. The 26 year old missed games through injuries but was restored to the Stoke side by manager Alex Neil for the final game of the season.

Conor Coady: One of four central defenders linked with interest elsewhere. The former captain is due to return to Wolves after spending last season on loan at Everton who didn’t trigger a £4.5m clause to make the move permanent. Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United are reportedly interested but Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs has suggested Coady could still have a future at Molineux.

Hobbs told the club: “Conor is someone I’ve spoken to more or less every day since the season finished. He’s made it clear he’d like to come back, however there’s obviously a lot of interest in him, but the manager is speaking to him soon to get a feel for him and see what Conor wants. The type of player I’m talking about signing, Conor would be that type of player and he’s already our player, but it’s a conversation for him and the manager to have.”

Nathan Collins: A target for Premier League rivals Brentford. The 22 year old Republic of Ireland centre back cost Wolves £20.5m from Burnley last season and they could make a profit on him to help balance the books and fund new signings elsewhere in the side.

Max Kilman: Spurs and West Ham are reportedly interested in the 26 year old left footed centre half. Kilman has deservedly won plenty of plaudits since joining the club from Maidenhead in the summer of 2018 as an under-23 player and going on to make 107 appearances in the first team. He’s flourished alongside Craig Dawson following the experienced centre half’s arrival for a bargain £3.3m from West Ham in January.

Dion Sanderson : Stoke City are the latest club to be linked with Wolves defender Dion Sanderson but face competition for his signature. The 23-year-old is also wanted by Birmingham City after impressing there on loan for the last two seasons. Sanderson is under contract at Molineux until the summer of 2025 having signed a new four year deal in 2021, just before joining Birmingham on loan. He’s also had spells at Cardiff, Sunderland and QPR on loan and returned to St Andrew’s last summer.

Ryan Giles: Wolves have been receiving inquiries from all over Europe as they weigh up the future of the left-sided defender. The 23 year old, from Telford, has just finished a hugely successful season on loan at Middlesbrough where his 11 assists helped Michael Carrick’s team into the Championship play-offs.

Although Giles has only made one senior Wolves appearance, in an FA Cup tie against Shrewsbury in 2019, he has more than 150 first-team games under his belt thanks to loans at Telford, Shrewsbury, Coventry, Rotherham, Cardiff, Blackburn and now Middlesbrough. Matt Jackson, Wolves’ strategic player marketing manager, who oversees players out on loan, told the Athletic: “We get calls from all over Europe about him.”

Rayan Ait-Nouri: Another player available for sale, according to that Telegraph report that also linked Sa with a move away. Left back Ait-Nouri was a £9.5m signing from French club Angers in the summer of 2021, agreeing a five year deal with the option for a sixth. Angers hold a 50 per cent sell on clause in the 22 year old but Wolves do have plenty of options at left back with Ryan Giles, Jonny and Hugo Bueno competing for places while centre half Toti was deployed there by Julen Lopetegui in the latter stages of the season.

Daniel Podence : The third player listed as available for sale in the Telegraph report. Versatile forward Podence, aged 27, signed from Olympiakos in 2020 for £16.9m and has two years left on his contract. But revitalising the forward line, particularly in wide areas, could be a priority for the club as Wolves were the lowest scorers in the Premier League last season with just 31 goals.

Adama Traore: Not strictly a Wolves player any more as his contract is up. However, Wolves had said they would like to keep him. The bookies think they know where he’s going, they have stopped taking bets on him joining a flow of players to Saudia Arabia.

Fabio Silva : The striker, aged 20, spent this past season out on loan from Molineux, at Anderlecht and PSV Eindhoven, and has been linked with a move back to PSV as well as interest from Ajax and sides in Spain, Italy, Germany and Turkey. But it’s not clear whether they would be offers for a permanent deal or a loan for a player who cost Wolves £35m in 2020. He is under contract at Molineux until 2026 and furthered his reputation with 16 goals in his loans last season.