Forget Harvey Elliott - Wolves can land £25m Premier League star to fast forward European push

Wolverhampton Wanderers are expected to have a busy upcoming transfer window as head coach Vitor Pereira oversees his first summer in charge.

The Old Gold are set to lose talismanic forward Matheus Cunha to Manchester United as soon as the window opens on June 1, with a record-breaking £62.5 million sale secured. As United will be paying in instalments, the deal will help Wolves and their hopes to stay in line with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) for many years.

Cunha’s departure from Molineux also gives Wanderers the exciting opportunity to sign a replacement, as well as new additions in other areas of the field. The summer business, if conducted correctly, could help Wolves kickstart a push for a top-half Premier League finish, or even an outside shot at European football.

Wolves could complete stunning £25m swoop for Man City star

Who, then, could Wolves line up as new signings? Well, we could go on for hours about the long list of transfer targets or attempt to delve deep into the endless transfer speculation, but today we’ll focus on one player: Manchester City attacking midfielder James McAtee.

Harvey Elliott has been heavily linked with a move to Molineux but Liverpool are reportedly demanding a huge £50 million to sell the midfielder. Instead, Wolves should spend half of that to land McAtee – and Birmingham World understands the City academy product is on the club’s official shortlist.

McAtee has enjoyed a breakthrough season in the City senior team as he’s made nine starts and had regular opportunities off the bench. The 22-year-old has scored seven goals in 936 minutes across all competitions, impressing most with a hat-trick in the 8-0 thrashing of Salford City in the FA Cup back in November.

Sheffield United played a key role in McAtee’s early development as the Blades hosted the promising talent for two seasons. Two successive loan spells, the first in the Championship and the second in the Premier League, saw McAtee contribute 14 goals and eight assists in 75 appearances for the Blades.

It’s been a great experience for McAtee to force himself into Pep Guardiola’s plans, but this summer feels like a crossroads moment for the England under-21 international. McAtee’s contract expires in June 2026 and his game time is only increasing steadily. The Cityzens are expected to spend big this summer, too, so McAtee could fall back into a bit-part role at the club if he’s not careful.

That’s where Wolves could come into the picture and it’s understood that club officials believe McAtee is already good enough to start. Wanderers see great potential in the 22-year-old and are expected to make an official approach once the summer transfer window swings open.

It will be difficult to complete a deal as several other Premier League clubs including Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, West Ham United, Crystal Palace and Leeds United have all been linked. There’s also competition from abroad as Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Fiorentina and Bologna have all been credited with interest.

That shouldn’t stop Wolves from at least having a go, however. It would be ridiculous not to, quite frankly, as McAtee has the quality and potential to take Wanderers to the next level and could be available for as little as £25 million due to his contract expiring next summer.

Yes, McAtee is nowhere near the level of Cunha just yet and he may not ever reach those lofty heights, but signing the City man, alongside another addition with the new funds, could be the best possible approach.