Five ideal replacements that Wolves and Gary O’Neil must target this summer if Pedro Neto departs.
For many of the Molineux faithful, the 2023/24 campaign is all but over.
Overall, it has been a successful season at Wolves. Despite the chaos that the club endured at the start of the season, O’Neil has guided Wolves to a mid-table finish.
Now, all eyes are on the summer. A big transfer window is needed if the club are to kick on and progress up the table.
Wolves’ first-team still badly lacks depth and this summer could be a chance to finally put the problem to bed.
As a result, plenty of players have been linked away in order to raise potential funds, most notably, Neto.
The winger has been on fire for the Wolves manager with an asking price of £80 million being set on the Portuguese international. While injuries may have caused his value to drop, there is an expectation that he will leave.
As a result, this article lists five potential replacements for Wolves’ star man ahead of the summer.
Jack Clarke
The Sunderland winger has been the club’s main man throughout the campaign. The 23-year-old has hit 15 goals and four assists going into the final game of the season.
This form helped put the Blacks Cats in the promotion mix until February when his injury coincided with Sunderland’s downfall.
Jack Clarke was linked to Wolves in January alongside multiple other Premier League clubs. However, no one managed to acquire the winger’s signature.
Ahead of the summer, it is widely believed that Clarke will depart the Black Cats. Around £20 million is said to be enough to pull him away from the Stadium of Light.
With the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Ollie Watkins earning big moves to the Premier League and shining, there is no reason why Wolves cannot do this with Clarke.
Jota Silva
The 24-year-old winger has raised eyebrows in Portugal with a series of impressive displays in the top division.
Jota Silva currently makes his trade at Vitória de Guimarães and has produced some impressive performances this season.
In 30 games in Liga Portugal, Jota Silva has registered 11 goals and five assists. This has given his club a solid chance of reaching the Europa League next season.
As a result of his form, he received his debut for Portugal against Sweden earlier this year, coming on for former Wolves man Matheus Nunes.
According to The Express, the winger could be available for just £10 million with West Ham also plotting a move.
Johnathan Rowe
Playing for Norwich, Jonathan Rowe is a highly-regarded upcoming winger in the Championship.
The 21-year-old has already hit 13 goals this campaign as he looks to guide the Canaries to promotion via the playoffs.
However, if Norwich and Rowe do not manage to achieve this feat, Wolves should eye a move for the winger.
Rowe’s contract is set to expire in June 2025 meaning a price-cut deal could be available if he remains stuck in the Championship.
Read more: When every Wolves player’s contract is set to expire.
Fabio Carvalho
Wolves were linked with the Liverpool winger back in January. However, the Reds opted to send Fabio Carvalho to Championship side Hull City.
In the second tier, the Portuguese winger has really come to life and has netted nine times as well as collecting up two assists in 19 matches.
With the 21-year-old set to return to Liverpool in the summer, there could be a potential opening for Wolves. If the incoming manager does not see a future for Fabio Carvalho, O’Neil may be able to get him on a cheaper deal.
If not, Liverpool may be looking to loan him to a Premier League side to continue the next stage of his development.
Fabio Carvalho could be a perfect short-term solution to replace Neto if other options are unavailable.
Johan Bakayoko
The dream option. If Wolves’ owners Fosun are serious about the club being able to compete in the top half of the Premier League once more, the signing of Johan Bakayoko would send a statement.
The 21-year-old PSV winger has 13 goals and 14 assists for the Dutch side as they’ve gone on to all but secure the league title.
It is believed that £30 million could be enough to bring the future star to the Premier League with Man United recently expressing interest.
If Wolves bring in big money for Neto, the club would certainly be able to meet this asking price. The big issue would be convincing Bakayoko to join O’Neil’s side.
However, considering Wolves have managed to convince the likes of Diogo Jota and Ruben Neves to join when the club were in the Championship, if Fosun showed ambition, this could be done.