Wolves take next step after enquiry for £25m Nottingham Forest and Everton target

Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly cooled their interest in Olympique Lyonnais defender Jake O’Brien following an enquiry.

The Old Gold have decided their next step is to consider other options after discovering Lyon’s hefty asking price. Nottingham Forest and Everton will be buoyed by this news as the fellow Premier League pair hold a strong interest in O’Brien.

Two times a Republic of Ireland international, the 23-year-old has a slightly unusual career path but is reaping the rewards. O’Brien broke through at Cork City before securing a move to Crystal Palace but he decided to move on for pastures new after just two years.

A couple of loan moves away - one to League Two side Swindon Town and the next to Belgian second-tier outfit RWD Molenbeek - gave O’Brien the chance to impress on the first-team stage. Lyon were keeping tabs and took the plunge, signing the defender for around £1 million last summer.

It’s been a terrific move for O’Brien, who has gone from England’s fourth division to securing European football in the space of merely 24 months. A regular starter for Lyon as they finished sixth in Ligue 1, O’Brien has established himself as one of the most promising defender’s in Ligue 1.

Wolves have been interested as a result but The Telegraph reports any deal for O’Brien is currently off, despite the defender remaining high on the shortlist. Wanderers were quoted £25 million for the centre-half’s services, a fee considered far too high.

The Old Gold aren’t short of cash after selling captain Maximilian Kilman to West Ham United for a whopping £40 million, but Gary O’Neil will want to spread the funds across several positions – or on multiple defenders.