Wolves are ready to reject Newcastle’s third bid of £60m for Jorgen Strand Larsen and remain adamant that he will not be sold.
With Wolves facing a crucial final few days of the transfer window, the Midlands club are
continuing to adopt a hardline stance on the future of the Norway international.
Strand Larsen underlined his vast importance to Wolves with two goals in
the 3-2 comeback win over West Ham on Tuesday night.
After turning down a third offer from Newcastle, after earlier bids of £50m and £55m, the message from Molineux today remains very clear: that he will not be leaving before September 1.
That statement of intent comes direct from chairman Jeff Shi, who is said to be very resolute about his stance.
It has to be said that Wolves supporters have been here before, and many of them still fear that a huge offer would tempt the club into doing business.
Jorge Mendes, the ‘super-agent’ who has assisted Wolves so many times since their promotion to the Premier League in 2018, is involved in their major deals both incoming and outgoing but Shi is the ultimate decision maker.
Make no mistake, selling the former Celta Vigo forward at this stage of the window could have severe consequences for
head coach Vitor Pereira.
Wolves have circled the drain of relegation in recent times after a mass exodus of players over the past two seasons.
The list of high-profile stars to leave is quite staggering: Ruben Neves, Matheus Nunes, Pedro Neto, Raul Jimenez, Conor Coady and Nathan Collins, among others.
To sell Strand Larsen, their best centre-forward, before the deadline would be a grave mistake.
It could also threaten to inflict huge damage on Pereira’s hopes of progress.
Profit does not cover relegation risk
Yet Wolves remain insistent that he is not for sale. They argue that any exit now would give them little time to sign a proper replacement.
Despite the prospect of more than doubling the £23m they paid to secure Strand Larsen’s permanent deal this summer, the financial cost of relegation after selling another asset is too great.
Wolves are not naive in acknowledging that the player would also be attracted to a move. Newcastle can offer Champions League football and remain a quality proposition regardless of
the Alexander Isak saga.
But any deal now does not make any sense for Wolves.
This is a big test for Shi and the club’s owner, Fosun, in their fractious relationship with the fanbase. Support has been dwindling in the past two years and Shi relenting on his stance could cause irreparable damage.
Wolves, instead, are focusing on incoming signings. Ladislav Krejci, a centre-back,
has completed his move from Girona for a fee of around £26m.
Czech defender Ladislav Krejci is expected to arrive from Girona Credit: Getty Images/Alex Caparros
A move to sign Christantus Uche, the Getafe attacking midfielder, after agreeing a £17m package with the La Liga club, appears off after negotiations collapsed with the player and agent.
A central midfielder and another forward to support Larsen are viewed as priorities. Genk striker Tolu Arokodare is on their list while Nantes’ Matthis Abline was considered earlier in the window.
It had been anticipated that there could be an overhaul of the goalkeeping department, but Wolves insist Jose Sa’s place is safe and deputy Sam Johnstone will not be leaving.
Santiago Bueno, the centre-back, is set to stay as Wolves want six players in that position at the club. This approach comes after last season’s error of judgement when they failed to add a centre-back in the summer and then sustained a season-ending injury to Yerson Mosquera.
