Wolves plan to replace Nelson Semedo with former Borussia Dortmund and Celtic star
Wolves have set their sights on a former German Under-23 international
Wolverhampton Wanderers have emerged as one of the frontrunners to sign promotion-winning right-back Jeremy Toljan from Italian side Sassuolo this summer.
The Old Gold are expected to be in the market for defensive reinforcements this summer as they face up to the possibility of losing club captain Nelson Semedo on a free transfer this summer.
The Portuguese international, formerly of Barcelona, has racked up 182 appearances for Wolves since arriving in 2020 and has been a near ever present in the backline throughout five seasons as the Molineux outfit successfully evaded the threat of being relegated to the Championship.
Wolves boss Vitor Pereira is thought to be keen on extending Semedo’s stay as the right-back’s contract approaches its final days, but it seems increasingly likely that the 31-year-old will move onto pastures new away from the West Midlands with a switch over to his former club Benfica being mooted by a number of local news outlets in Portugal.
Wolves push to sign free agent Jeremy Toljan
Experienced defender Jeremy Joljan has emerged as a potential replacement for Wolves club captain Nelson Semedo, according to reports from Fussbal Transfers.
News of Wolves’ interest in the 31-year-old was shared on X by the German outlet, adding that the Old Gold have made contract with the defender’s representatives, with the Sassuolo man expected to be available on a free transfer after six seasons at the Mapei Stadium.
Wolves have made one signing so far this summer with Fer Lopez arriving from Celta Vigo for a figure of around £23m but it’s expected that a fair few signings will follow in the coming weeks as Vitor Pereira continues to make changes in his first summer transfer window in charge.
What to expect from Jeremy Toljan if he signs for Wolves
Jeremy Toljan is a 31-year-old Hoffeheim academy graduate, who represented Germany at every age group between Under-17 and Under-23, making a combined 36 appearances at youth level.
He broke into the first team at Hoffeheim in 2013 and earned himself a move to Bundesliga heavyweights Borussia Dortmund just four years later. He played just 16 times in his first season at Signal Iduna Park before a loan spell at Celtic during the 2018/19 season which saw him play just 10 league matches in six months under Neil Lennon in Scotland.
Toljan was signed by Sassuolo on a permanent in 2021 after previously spending two seasons out on loan at the Serie A side and making a strong first impression. Overall, he’s made total of 171 appearances across all competitions with 131 of those crucially coming in the top-flight of Italian football against many of the league’s most talented wingers and attacking threats.
He formed part of the team which won promotion back to Serie A at the first time of asking last term and was hugely impressive with seven assists from 34 matches for the eventual title winners.