'Weighing up bids' - Wolves and Leeds United in three-horse race for £15m former West Brom skipper

Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly reignited their interest in signing Ipswich Town central defender Dara O’Shea this summer but face competition from two other Premier League clubs.

Vitor Pereira is eager to add another centre-back to his defensive ranks as he often had to rely on playing Matt Doherty slightly out of position as the right of a three last season. Although the likes of Santiago Bueno and Nasser Djiga were available, Pereira felt they weren’t quite ready and the head coach would now like to bolster the options at his disposal.

O’Shea, who played 107 times for Wolves’ bitter local rivals West Bromwich Albion between 2019 and 2023, was linked with a move to Molineux last summer. The Republic of Ireland international had just been relegated with Burnley at the time and Wolves were eager to snap up his services, but Ipswich got in there first, signing him for £15 million.

Now O’Shea has suffered yet another relegation, clubs in the top flight are sniffing around. The Irish Sun reports Wolves and Leeds United both hold a strong interest and are weighing up making a bid for the centre-half. They’re not alone in that regard, however, as Burnley are eyeing a reunion with their former player.

Heading into his prime years, O’Shea would probably jump at the opportunity to escape the Championship for another shot in the Premier League. Two successive relegations may come across as quite the red flag but the 26-year-old was named Ipswich’s Player of the Year ahead of Liam Delap, who scored 12 top-flight goals.

Ipswich could get in the way of a possible transfer, however, as the East Anglia club are under no real financial pressure after selling star striker Delap to Chelsea in a £30 million deal. Although Manchester City raked in a cut of that due to a sell-on clause, Ipswich still bagged a decent profit.

Tractor Boys chairman Mark Ashton, eager to give Ipswich the best chance of an immediate return to the Premier League, has insisted there will not be a mass exodus this summer. He has admitted a second big-money star could depart if the finances are right, however.

“We're not into fire sales,” Ashton said. “We haven't got to sell a multitude of players, but one or two players will be traded out to give ourselves that headroom and the ability to move forward.

“I think it's important fans understand that one of the challenges you've got when you come down is you've got to retain, because we're going to have suitors for players. So as much as you've got to recruit, you've got to retain, you've got to work hard to make sure you've got those players locked down.”

Regardless of Ipswich’s stance, Wolves could at least fire an offer in the Tractor Boys’ direction to see what response it gains. It’s in the Old Gold’s best interests to move quickly, too, given the competition from Leeds and Burnley. This story could well develop over the coming weeks.