Wolves star on the verge of leaving with ‘advanced talks’ ongoing and ‘agreement’ close

Wolves are on the verge of agreeing their first blockbuster exit deal after relegation to the Championship.

The Old Gold’s summer of upheaval is taking shape, and the first major departure looks set to be their most significant one.

Wolves’ eight-year stay in the Premier League ended on April 20 when West Ham’s draw at Crystal Palace confirmed their relegation to the Championship.

They lost their first five top flight games and never managed to clamber out of the bottom three — an unrelenting collapse that led to Vitor Pereira’s dismissal in November, with Rob Edwards appointed in his place.

The club spent in excess of £150 million on transfer fees across two windows in 2025 and received almost nothing in return, a reckless approach to recruitment that made relegation an inevitability long before it was confirmed.

Edwards has steadied the ship in the second half of the season but the task ahead of him this summer is enormous.

While Wolves are making transfer plans of their own, the overhaul of personnel is going to be vast, with a squad stripped of top-flight status and now vulnerable to approaches from clubs with considerably more to offer.

Wolves star Joao Gomes ‘close’ to Atletico Madrid move

At the centre of that vulnerability sits João Gomes, and according to talkSPORT’s Ben Jacobs, Atlético Madrid are closing in on a deal to sign him.

Jacobs reports that Atletico and Wolves are in advanced talks through intermediaries, with the parties nearing a ‘verbal agreement’ worth around £39 million.

That fee would represent a significant return for a player who joined from Flamengo in January 2023 and has gone on to become one of the most reliable performers in an otherwise chaotic Wolves midfield.

The 25-year-old Brazilian has made 33 Premier League appearances this season, contributing one goal and one assist, but it is his defensive work, energy and consistency that have made him one of the more coveted central midfielders in the division.

His contract at Molineux runs until June 2030, giving Wolves a strong negotiating position on paper, but the reality of Championship football makes holding firm on their star player considerably harder.

The Gomes deal also has a wider dimension that will interest Arsenal and Manchester United in particular.

Jacobs revealed in the same update that Atlético have verbal terms in place with Atalanta’s Ederson — another midfield target — but have yet to reach an agreement with the Italian club over a fee.

That deadlock opens the door for Premier League clubs to swoop, with both Arsenal and United identified as sides showing concrete interest in the Brazilian if Atlético cannot close the deal.

For Wolves, the Gomes situation underlines the scale of the challenge ahead.

Edwards is believed to be widely admired within the club and there is no appetite for another managerial change.

Whether he is given the tools to compete for an immediate return to the Premier League is the defining question of the summer at Molineux.