Wolverhampton Wanderers have tabled a bid for an impressive teenager as they look to bolster their ranks this summer, it has been reported.
New Premier League season brings questions for Wolves
Gary O'Neil's side kick off the 2024/25 Premier League season with a trip to last season's runners up Arsenal, a game which kicks off a challenging start to the campaign. The Old Gold face Newcastle United, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester City in their opening eight games, alongside tricky away trips to Nottingham Forest and Brighton in a brutal opening to the season.
Transfer business in the Black Country has been slow too. They have sold club captain Max Kilman to West Ham in a deal worth £40m, but are yet to bring in a replacement for the Englishman, who played every minute of their 2023/24 campaign.
PL Games missed by Max Kilman in the last three seasons
Season
Games Missed
2023-24
0
2022-23
1
2021-22
8
They have made just two permanent signings (plus the confirmation of Tommy Doyle's loan move becoming permanent), adding 18 year old Pedro Lima and 20-year-old Rodrigo Gomes to their ranks alongside a loan move for Norweigian forward Jorgen Strand-Larsen.
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It means that they head into the final few weeks of the transfer window needing to do business to add depth to their ranks, and they look set to continue down the youthful route as they explore a move for a centre-back.
Wolves target £2k per week teenager
That comes as reports in France claim that Wolves have identified FC Nantes defender Bastien Meupiyou as a potential new addition at Molineux this summer.
As it stands, O'Neil can only call upon Toti Gomes, Craig Dawson, Santiago Beuno and the returning Yerson Mosquera in the heart of his backline, and the Old Gold feel light in that area.
According to French outlet L'Equipe, they have moved to fix that by tabling an offer for Meupiyou, who has impressed at youth level for Nantes and the French national team.
The left-footed centre-back is down to the final 12 months of his £2,000 a week deal in France, and Nantes boss Antoine Kombouaré has made it clear he must be sold this summer if he doesn't pen fresh terms with the Ligue 1 side.
Wolves had one bid turned down but have returned with a fresh 4m euro (£3.3m) bid for the teenager's services recently. However, L'Equipe relay that Nantes turned this down too, and are set to demand 10m euros (£8.5m) for the youngster to leave the club this summer despite his contract situation.
Despite being highly rated, Meupiyou has made just a single Ligue 1 appearance, seeing red nine minutes into his debut against Marseille before a torn meniscus saw him sidelined for the remainder of the season.
Given the circumstances, it seems unlikely that Wolves will stump up anything close to the asking price this summer, especially when he is set to be available for nothing in 12 months' time.
