Wolves and Leeds United linked with £17m midfield gem as 'offer made' by Serie A transfer rivals
Wolves and Leeds United are reportedly in the race to sign an eight-goal midfielder this summer.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly registered an interest in signing RC Lens midfielder Neil El Aynaoui and may be hurried to make an offer as talks are already ongoing with a rival club.
The Old Gold are eager to add another option to their midfield ranks following the loan departure of Tommy Doyle to Birmingham City and El Aynaoui, one of Lens’ standout players in an eighth-placed Ligue 1 finish, is reportedly among the targets.
Vitor Pereira ideally wants to sign a versatile midfielder who can chop and change in for the likes of Joao Gomes and Andre when required, fitting into a host of roles. As El Aynaoui can play as a six, an eight, or even as more of an anchor type, the Moroccan could fit the bill.
Wolves face competition for El Aynaoui signing
Wanderers may have to get a move on if they are to sign El Aynaoui, however, as the competition for his signature is fierce. Foot Mercato reports AS Roma have submitted a bid of €20 million (£17.2m) to sign the midfielder, while fellow Serie A sides Juventus and AC Milan are keeping close tabs on the situation.
Wolves’ interest is confirmed in the report, though newly-promoted sides Sunderland and Leeds United will be eager to spoil the party as they too are keen on signing El Aynaoui. It awaits to be seen where the player would prefer to go out of all the teams interested.
One aspect that is assured, though, is the fact that El Aynaoui fancies a new challenge in a different country. Lens are trying to keep hold of their number 23 but there’s a strong desire there to discover pastures new. A move to Wolves, albeit maybe not quite as alluring on paper as a Roma switch, would allow El Aynaoui to experience the Premier League. As would signing for Sunderland or Leeds United, you could argue, but the huge threat of relegation back down to the Championship could be off-putting.
Vitor Pereira prioritising buying new striker
As much as signing someone as talented as El Aynaoui, who scored eight Ligue 1 goals last season, could be, Wolves boss Vitor Pereira is prioritising bringing in a new striker. Jorgen Strand Larsen has now signed permanently from Celta Vigo for around £23 million but the Norwegian can’t do it all on his own.
Wolves’ lack of depth up top was laid bare regularly towards the end of last campaign as Strand Larsen wasn’t at full sharpness due to a string of minor injury woes. Signing another centre-forward could help alleviate those problems, also pushing Strand Larsen to even better form by having some competition for the starting spot.
Despite the clear need and want for a new striker, there have been very few names directly linked with a move to Molineux so far this summer. Interest has been reported in Sporting Lisbon’s Geny Catamo, free agent Jamie Vardy, Lazio star Valentin Castellanos and Millwall’s Mihailo Ivanovic, but nothing is advanced for any target at this stage.