Wolves are unlikely to sign Aston Villa and Man City midfielders Ross Barkley and Kalvin Phillips.placeholder image
Wolves are unlikely to sign Aston Villa and Man City midfielders Ross Barkley and Kalvin Phillips. | Getty Images
The latest transfer news as Wolves are linked with players from Aston Villa and Man City.
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ approach for the January transfer window has been revealed and there are currently no plans to bring in certain linked players from Aston Villa and Manchester City.
The Old Gold are extremely likely to be relegated at the end of this campaign and preparations are already underway for life in the Championship, with a view to returning to the Premier League as soon as physically possible.
According to The Telegraph, Wolves’ main focus now is on building the core of the squad so it’s ready to compete at the upper end of the Championship in 2026/27. There’s also a lot of talk at the Compton training ground about ‘Premier League 2027’, as players already cast one eye on the future – a sign of dedication to the cause, perhaps.
Wolves swoops for Villa & Man City stars ‘unlikely’
On this remit, Wolves are said to be disinterested in finding short-term fixes. As a result, links with Villa and Man City midfielders Ross Barkley and Kalvin Phillips have been quashed in The Telegraph’s report, with swoops for both labelled as ‘unlikely’.
It’s not suggested that signing either Barkley or Phillips is an impossibility, but neither would fall into Wolves’ current strategy. The Old Gold don’t mind the idea of signing loan players for the next six months in a bid to achieve the all-unlikely survival, but signing players permanently who would want to leave in the summer is not on the agenda.
Barkley has racked up just 145 minutes across all competitions for Villa this season, while Phillips has played a bit-part role at City pretty much ever since he joined from Leeds United. The links to the pair are understandable in the sense that they are seeking more regular game time, but they don’t fit into Wolves’ policy.
New approach to player sales
Wanderers have gained quite the track record of becoming a selling club in recent years, accumulating more than £300 million in player exits. The likes of Matheus Cunha, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Pedro Neto, Matheus Nunes and Ruben Neves have all left the club, rocketing Wolves’ transfer budget but wrecking their chances of progressing on the field.
The Telegraph’s report suggests Wolves are going to adjust their policy to letting players go, standing firmer than they have done. There’s strong interest from clubs in the Premier League and overseas for Jorgen Strand Larsen, Joao Gomes and Andre, for instance, so the Old Gold may not let them leave so easily.
Wolves fans might be a little concerned that some may depart anyway due to relegation clauses, but it has been confirmed that there are no players with such terms in their contracts. Yes, it’s likely Wolves’ best will request transfers, but the club will decide on the fee.
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