‘On his way’ - Wolves set to beat Everton and Nottingham Forest to £8.5m capture

Wolves are said to be closing in on the signing of Girona defender Santiago Bueno, according to a report from a reputable source.

Telegraph journalist John Percy claims that Wolves are 'close to making their first cash signing of this transfer window' and that Bueno would cost the club £8.5m. He is said to be on his way, and medical is expected later today for the Uruguay international, with the club hopeful of making further additions before Friday's transfer deadline of 11.00 pm.

It was reported by TEAMtalk that Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United and Everton had all been interested in him, but it is Wolves who have come out on top in the four-team Premier League race for him. To date, Wolves have made nine signings this summer, and fees were exchanged for Matheus Cunha and Boubacar Traore, but they were part of loan deals that had an obligation-to-buy, and now Bueno will represent their first piece of business in which a fee has been exchanged from a non pre-existing deal.

The 24-year-old has yet to make an appearance in the 2023/24 campaign after a nursing a hamstring injury that ruled him out of Girona's matches with Real Sociedad and Getafe. He was named in their match-day squad at the weekend but was an unused substitute.

Bueno is a two-time Uruguay international and made his debut for his country earlier this year. He is a product of Barcelona's academy and came through their system before featuring for CF Pralda and later Girona. He has been a Girona player since 2019 and has gone on to make 120 appearances for the club with five assists and four goals, as well as keeping 35 clean sheets across all competitions.

The imminent arrival of Bueno will add depth to the centre-back area, which has been a position that the club have looked to strengthen in following the departures of Nathan Collins to Brentford and Conor Coady to Leicester City. Max Kilman has been linked with a move away from Molineux too with Napoli and Spurs holding an interest but despite receiving several offers the captain signed a new five-year contract.