After suffering a 6-2 mauling at the hands of Chelsea, Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly turned to the Serie A in search of a replacement for Pedro Neto.
Wolves transfer news
It looked as though Wolves were on course to get one over on Chelsea for the third-consecutive time, before Noni Madueke – of all people – stole the show by scoring a hat-trick and Joao Felix added the cherry on top courtesy of a Pedro Neto assist to rub salt in the wounds. The defeat exposed some glaring problems that those in the Midlands must solve in the next four days, with their task to replace Neto among those issues despite the obvious need for defensive reinforcements.
That’s not to say that Wolves haven’t already been on the hunt for a replacement, of course. They’ve been linked with moves for the likes of Carlos Forbs and former Celtic star Jota, who now plies his trade at Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad.
The latter would be a particularly impressive arrival, given how he rose to stardom under Ange Postecoglou in Scotland, only to head down a different path when it came to a departure. With Sporting Club reportedly interested in re-signing the winger, however, those at the Molinuex may turn to Italy in search of replacing Neto.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Wolves are now leading the race to sign Jonathan Ikone after making contact with his camp. Ikone was reportedly left out of Fiorentina’s squad to face Venezia amid the ongoing transfer speculation.
With Leicester City also reportedly interested, Wolves will need to accelerate their move in the coming days to beat both the Foxes and the deadline in pursuit of the 26-year-old. Earning a reported £36k-a-week, Kone likely wouldn’t break the bank, but it remains to be seen just how much Fiorentina demand to sell their winger in the closing days of the summer window.
“Stellar” Ikone can rediscover best form at Wolves
For so long, Ikone was a name full of potential at Lille before sealing a move to Fiorentina in 2022. Since then, however, he has struggled in Italian football, scoring just five goals and assisting a further three last season after managing six goals and eight assists in his debut campaign. Gradually seeing his end product decrease, Ikone seemingly has the chance to start afresh with a move to the Premier League.
The winger wouldn’t be the first player to rediscover his best form in the Midlands either. Matheus Cunha wasn’t always the thriving attacker that Gary O’Neil now has at his disposal, having seen his career stall at Atletico Madrid before finding his feet at Wolves.
Dubbed a “stellar” player by Zach Lowy when at his best during his time at Lille, Wolves could be performing an act of genius by pursuing the 26-year-old’s signature amid a period to forget in the Serie A. Of course, replacing Neto is no easy task, but Ikone has more than enough experience by now to step into the Premier League for the first time and follow in Cunha’s footsteps by finding form.