Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly been presented with an opportunity to cut short the loan spell of Ajax winger Carlos Forbs.
The West Midlands outfit moved to sign the former Manchester City youngster in the summer on a loan deal that came with an obligation to buy.
That clause - believed to be in the region of £11m - would only be activated should the 20-year-old make a set number of appearances.
While that figure has never been officially revealed, Forbs is currently on one start and eight substitute outings in the Premier League, a realistic assumption being that 10 may be the so-called magic number.
Forbs was used off the substitutes' bench in three games between December 22 and January 6, but the Portugal Under-21 international has not been seen since.
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Could Forbs return to Ajax?
According to The Athletic, a scenario has arisen where Ajax are interested in cutting short their agreement with Wolves.
When negotiating the loan in the summer, Ajax did not insert a recall option, instead preferring to try to ensure that they generate a sizeable fee for Forbs.
Instead, injuries to some of their current wide options and a failure to secure deals for some of their desired transfer targets has led to contact with Wolves regarding Forbs returning to Amsterdam.
Forbs is allegedly interested in returning to his parent club. Having already represented Ajax at the start of the campaign, he can only represent the Dutch giants or Wolves for the remainder of 2024-25.
Although it appears logical for all concerned that Forbs goes back to Ajax, negotiations are said to be ongoing to resolve the situation.
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Easy decision for Wolves?
There appears to be no downside to Forbs moving back to the Netherlands, particularly for Wolves when they will not want to commit to an £11m fee when relegation from the Premier League is a possibility.
Forbs was initially only allowed to leave Ajax through having failed to overly convince that he could become a mainstay in the team.
Only three goals and five assists have come from 38 appearances in all competitions, but he remains with three-and-a-half years on his contract.
Wolves may only resist any attempt to recall Forbs if they view Forbs as a long-term option. As it stands, though, he has only earned 259 minutes of football in all competitions, failing to provide a goal or assist.
In the short term, parting ways with Forbs would free up space on the wage bill and a loan spot to acquire a replacement.
Darren Plant
