‘Enquiry made’ - Wolves in contact for £3m midfielder amid Hull City sale claim

Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly lodged an enquiry for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Gustavo Puerta ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

The Old Gold are eager to add depth and quality in midfield before next season, with manager Vitor Pereira keen to assess plenty of options on a shortlist. Puerta, who has spent this season on loan at Hull City, has scored one goal in 30 Championship appearances this term.

Playing predominantly as a defensive midfielder, Puerta has been one of the few shining lights in a dismal Hull season. The 21-year-old has been effective in breaking up the play at the base of midfield, winning 1.7 tackles per 90 minutes on average.

Puerta is set to join Hull City on a permanent deal this summer but the Colombian could move on as quickly as he joins. A report from the midfielder’s home nation suggests the Tigers will buy 60 per cent of Puerta’s rights for €3.5 million (£2.9m), with Leverkusen to remain the other 40 per cent.

It’s claimed Wolves have been keeping a close eye on Puerta’s situation and have lodged an enquiry, hoping Hull will be keen on making a quick buck with an almost instant sale. If true, it awaits to be seen how the Tigers and the player see the situation.

If Puerta were to join Wolves, he’d probably see a big reduction in game time as the Old Gold already have the formidable partnership of Andre and Joao Gomes in the centre of the park. Opportunities would come off the bench and in the cup competitions, so Puerta would have to consider that before making the move to Molineux.

Big summer ahead for Wolves

Having clinched Premier League survival and moved up the standings since, Wolves can look ahead to next season without guilt. Pereira had the winter window to sign the likes of Emmanuel Agbadou, Marshall Munetsi and Nasser Djiga, but he’s yet to have a full summer to properly make his mark on the squad.

The 56-year-old head coach is expected to hold talks over extending his Wolves contract and he’s bound to be backed by the board in the transfer market as a result. He could have money to spend, too, as Matheus Cunha is likely to see his £62.5 million release clause activated, in turn bolstering the budget available.

Some of that cash could be spent on Puerta if he’s willing to join, though the priority is likely to be signing a direct replacement for Cunha. Pereira is also understood to want to bolster the depth in defence.

Quite a squad overhaul could take place this summer despite Wolves’ recent resurgence. It’s the first summer for Pereira to get fully involved in transfer business, after all, with the Portuguese manager eager to guide the Old Gold to bigger and better things after a strong start.

In other news, Wolves and local rivals Aston Villa are set to be impacted by a contentious Premier League rule change coming into force this summer.