Wolves complete Sunderland hijack and sign long-term £25m target in bold January transfer window prediction
Wolves are likely to be in the market for reinforcements in the January transfer window
Wolverhampton Wanderers endured a challenging summer transfer window in 2025 with most of their incoming business being overshadowed by the high-profile exits of attacker Matheus Cunha to Manchester United and creative left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri to Manchester City.
The West Midlands side also spent large portions of the summer sweating over the future of star striker Jorgen Strand Larsen amid interest from Newcastle United despite only signing him on a permanent basis in the summer from Celta Vigo after a successful loan move.
Larsen endeared himself to the Wolves faithful with 14 league goals last season but was quickly the subject of two failed bids from Newcastle United, which The Athletic claimed at the time had unsettled the Norwegian striker. However, things are on the up for Wolves in that respect with the 25-year-old signing an improved deal with the club just days after manager Vitor Pereira also penned a new three-year deal with the Old Gold.
Pereira did an excellent job in January to add reinforcements and lead Wolves to safety after a turbulent start to last season. He could well find himself in a similar situation this winter, and it’s likely that the club will be active to try and evade the threat of relegation. With that in mind, we asked AI, who Wolves could realistically target in January 2026 - and this was its intriguing response.
Wolves complete bold Sunderland hijack in January prediction
Wolves are expected to be in the market for defensive reinforcements. Emmanuel Agbadou was a game-changing addition in the last winter window, but it’s thought that Vitor Pereira still wants more quality options in that position, particularly as he prefers to play three central defenders.
AI expects the Old Gold to make a move for defender Jhon Lucumi. The Colombian, who currently plays for Bologna, won the Coppa Italia last season and also gained experience in the Champions League. Sunderland tried and failed to sign him over the summer but the Echo expects them to come back in with another offer in January. He’s under contract at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara until 2027 and is a player that manager Vincenzo Italiano is thought to be keen on keeping.
Elsewhere, AI backs up the suggestion that Wolves are in the market for a goalkeeper and claims that Christos Mandas is still the prime target following rampant speculation in recent windows. The Greek international currently plays for Lazio and featured heavily in their European campaign last season. However, he’s thought to be weighing up a move away to get regular first team football after rarely featuring in Serie A. Mandas is reportedly valued at around £25m by the Italian side, making it an expensive deal for Wolves to try and get over the line.
25-goal forward could depart Wolves in January
AI claims Hwang Hee-chan’s days of leading the line at Wolves could be numbered heading into January. The South Korean international scored earlier this season to take his overall tally to 25 for the Old Gold across all competitions. The experienced attacker is currently experiencing his first real run of games under manager Vitor Pereira. However, with star striker Jorgen Strand Larsen returning to full fitness, it’s likely the 29-year-old will struggle for minutes, particularly following the big-money signing of Nigerian international Tolu Arokodare from Genk after his prolific spell in Belgium.
Elsewhere, goalkeeper Sam Johnstone could potentially depart to play more first team football, particularly if Christos Mandas does make the decision to relocate to the West Midlands. Former West Brom man Johnstone was the second choice throughout last season and is likely to consider his options if the right offer comes along.