Wolverhampton Wanderers 'step up interest in Barcelona's Nico Gonzalez'

Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly stepped up their efforts to secure a deal for Barcelona midfielder Nico Gonzalez.

There is the potential for a major rebuilding job taking place at Molineux this summer, the likes of John Ruddy, Marcal and Romain Saiss having already departed on free transfers.

Furthermore, Joao Moutinho is not guaranteed to sign a new contract, while Ruben Neves and Adama Traore could be sold if their respective asking prices are met by an interested club.

The situation with Neves in particular has led to widespread speculation regarding his future, the general consensus being that Barcelona will sign the Portugal international if they are able to meet his asking price.

However, that is far from guaranteed, the Catalan giants currently enduring financial difficulties and struggling to offload players which do not feature in Xavi's plans going forward.

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According to Sport, their efforts to sign Neves will be significantly boosted if Wolves are able to successfully negotiate a deal for Gonzalez.

The report claims that Wolves are only interested in signing the academy graduate, rather than other options such as Riqui Puig, Oscar Mingueza and Martin Braithwaite.

The 20-year-old would have been satisfied with his game time during 2021-22, making 16 starts and 18 substitute appearances in all competitions.

Nevertheless, the last time that he featured for longer than an hour in a single outing came in February, arguably a sign that the prospect remains down the pecking order.

Although it is suggested that Xavi remains an admirer of the player, it appears that there is a willingness to use Gonzalez to free up funds and space on the wage bill.

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Wolves head coach Bruno Lage will be attracted by the opportunity to work with such a highly-regarded youngster, one who would expect to become a first-team regular should he move to the Premier League.

If Moutinho leaves on a free transfer and Neves is sold, Leander Dendoncker and Luke Cundle would remain as Wolves' only two options in the middle of the pitch.

However, it has been widely claimed that the West Midlands outfit are doing all that they can to tempt Sporting Lisbon's Joao Palhinha to make the switch to Molineux once he has finished representing Portugal later this month.

Wolves also intend to retain the services of Morgan Gibbs-White, who they hope will sign fresh terms rather than look to take on a new challenge at another Premier League club.