Ahead of the 2024–25 Premier League season, which begins next week, Wolverhampton Wanderers is still in the hunt for a number of new players.
Even though Gary O’Neil added four new players to his roster, a couple more excellent additions are still needed if he wants to push the Old Gold into the top half of the standings.
Even though Gary O’Neil added four new players to his roster, a couple more excellent additions are still needed if he wants to push the Old Gold into the top half of the standings.
Considering the club’s current transfer objective in particular, it appears that he is adopting a youth-based strategy. Wolves is considering a Ligue 1 defender. Bastien Meupiyou, a defender for Nantes, has reportedly been the subject of two bids from the Molineux side, the most recent of which was rejected for roughly €4 million (£3.4 million).
The report claims that Nantes have set a price tag of at least €10m (£8.5m) in order to sell one of their most promising players, despite the fact he has a year left on his current contract.
If he isn’t keen on signing a new deal, the youngster will likely leave France for pastures new. Could O’Neil take advantage of this and bring him to England in the coming weeks?
It wouldn’t be the first time they have signed a talented defender from France…
Why Bastien Meupiyou could be Wolves’ next Ait Nouri
Prior to the 2020/21 season, the Old Gold signed Rayan Ait-Nouri on a season-long loan deal from Angers in France. A year later, after 24 appearances, the club signed him on a permanent deal for a fee in the region of £9.5m.
Fast-forward three years and this outlay has proven to be a bargain. The left-back is now attracting interest from the likes of Manchester City as Wolves set a price tag of around £60m in order for any club to secure his services.
Meupiyou could follow in Ait-Nouri’s footsteps if he also makes the move from Ligue 1, forging his way into the first team and shining for the club over the next few years.
The 18-year-old may have played only one senior match for Nantes, but it is clear his ceiling for development and progression is almost limitless.
The defender has made 36 appearances for the various youth teams at the French side, but it is evident that exposure to senior football on a regular basis is best for his continued growth.
He did participate in seven games for France in the U17 World Championships the previous year, where he demonstrated his exceptional defensive abilities by finishing with an 86% pass success rate, four clean sheets, 5.6 total duels won per game (a success rate of 63%), and just 0.1 fouls committed.
Lauded as an “amazingly talented CB” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig in February 2023, Meupiyou has impressed significantly since then, hence the interest from the Premier League this summer.
Will he renew his current deal with Nate? Or is moving to the Midlands an attractive proposition for someone who looks like they will go right to the very top?
Ait-Nouri has exceeded all expectations at the club. Could Meupiyou follow suit?
Read more news on
sportchannel.co.uk
Leave a Reply