Julen Lopetegui 'expected to leave Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday'

Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly expected to part ways with head coach Julen Lopetegui in the coming hours.

Having been appointed as a replacement for Bruno Lage in November, Lopetegui was able to guide Wolves from bottom in the Premier League to 13th position last season.

Such was the level of improvement of Wolves under the Spaniard that he was a justified contender for manager of the year, yet it appears that the former Sevilla boss will soon be departing Molineux.

Since it became apparent that initial plans in the transfer market had been scrapped, Lopetegui has voiced his frustration in the media on more than one occasion.

The 56-year-old first claimed that he had not been aware of Wolves' issues with FFP, before revealing that he had been prevented from trying to implement what he described as his "Plan B".

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Amid speculation, owners Fosun International took the decision to write an open letter to supporters last week, confirming that minimal signings would be made with meeting FFP criteria their priority.

Lopetegui, whose only major addition is that of Matt Doherty on a free transfer has not addressed the media since those comments were published, but Wolves ended pre-season in style with a 3-1 victory over Rennes.

However, reports have consistently claimed that Lopetegui has questioned whether his current squad are capable of competing in the Premier League, an opinion which has seemingly brought matters to a head.

According to widespread reports, Wolves have been discussing the exit of Lopetegui on Tuesday and are likely to appoint Gary O'Neil in his place.

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As per The Guardian, talks over a compensation package have been held with Lopetegui, with the expectation being that the two parties will settle on going their separate ways.

On Monday evening, it emerged that the Wolves owners had already held a lengthy meeting with former Bournemouth manager O'Neil to gauge whether he was interested in replacing Lopetegui should they take that route.

If Lopetegui does leave Wolves on Tuesday or in the days ahead, the 40-year-old is expected to be offered the chief role in the dugout, reward for achieving the same goal as Lopetegui in 2022-23 before Bournemouth sacked him and appointed Andoni Iraola.

Wolves begin the new Premier League campaign with a trip to Manchester United, that fixture taking place on August 14.