Barcelona weigh up shock approach for £5m-rated Wolves star

Wolves defender Hugo Bueno is reportedly on Barcelona’s shortlist as the La Liga giants seek to add depth and quality at left-back.

Barça, leading the Spanish top flight and six points ahead of fellow title chasers Real Madrid, have enjoyed a tremendous start under new manager Hansi Flick. The Catalan side have scored 40 goals in 13 league games - 15 more than any other team - and conceded just 12 times in those matches.

Flick and sporting director Deco are rather content with the squad as it currently looks but they’re eager to add a few new faces to keep it watertight for the future. Barcelona reportedly want one new winger and two full-backs, one for either side.

This is according to Spanish publication Sport, which claims Barça have listed Bueno as a potential option if they fail to acquire their number one target, Alphonso Davies, who has just eight months left on his Bayern Munich contract. The problem there is the presence of Real in the fight as Madrid have already laid out the groundwork for their own swoop.

Bueno, on the shortlist alongside Benfica star Alvaro Carreras, is currently out on loan at Dutch outfit Feyenoord. The 22-year-old has been a regular starter so far, making 10 appearances and contributing three assists across the Eredivisie and Champions League.

That creative output already triples Bueno’s return from 49 matches in a Wolves shirt, marking promising development during his loan spell thus far. With Wanderers struggling with depth in defence due to a host of injuries, they may wish they never let Bueno leave in the first place.

Now he’s a target for Barcelona, it’ll be interesting to see if Wolves will facilitate an approach from the Spanish club or whether they’ll be keen to give Bueno a proper shot at Molineux.