‘Medical booked’ - Wolves edge closer to £10m deal as Southampton push to sign five-time England international

Wolverhampton Wanderers are on the verge of confirming the signing of Crystal Palace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone in a reported £10m deal.

The 31-year-old is under contract at Selhurst Park until 2027, but has recently expressed a desire to move on from the London club after falling behind Dean Henderson in the pecking order.

Johnstone is expected to replace Jose Sa as the number one goalkeeper at Molineux this season, with the Portuguese international being the subject of rampant speculation linking him with a late summer move to Saudi Arabia. Sa has enjoyed a number of fine performances in the West Midlands over the last three years, but is believed to be keen on a move away, with his agents working on brokering a deal to the Middle East, according to reports from transfer guru Alan Nixon.

Johnstone has made 66 Premier League appearances across spells at West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace, making him a viable replacement for Sa in the Wolves goal. He has been capped four times for England at international level and was once described as a ‘quality’ player by former boss Roy Hodgson. The goalkeeper is on standby for a medical in the next 48 hours, according to Football Insider, in a proposed deal which comes following a breakdown in talks with Arsenal goalkeeper and fellow England international Aaron Ramsdale. 

Ramsdale is also seeking a move away from the capital after being dislodged as the number one shot-stopper behind David Raya at the Emirates Stadium. Last week, BBC Sport reported that Wolves made a loan offer with an option to buy for about £20m, but pulled out of discussion as they felt an agreement with Arsenal would be too expensive to reach at this time.

Ramsdale has since emerged as a top target for Premier League rivals Southampton and transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has recently claimed that negotiations are ‘advancing well’ with all ‘parties optimistic’ that a deal can be reached in the coming days.

The 26-year-old notably made the Premier League Team of the Season in 2022/23, but made just six league appearances last term.