Wolves react as club make transfer bid - Portsmouth watching situation | OneFootball

Wolves have turned down a £3.5m bid from Anderlecht for Boubacar Traore, who is also believed to be a target for Portsmouth.

Wolves have turned down a £3.5m bid from Anderlecht for Boubacar Traore, with the midfielder expected to stay at Molineux beyond the deadline.

The 25-year-old initially joined Wanderers in the summer of 2022, but he has had a frustrating four years since his arrival from Metz.

A combination of injuries and other players being ahead of Traore in the pecking order means he has only made 43 appearances in Old Gold, and he spent the previous campaign back on loan in Ligue 1 with his former club.

Action Images

However, Cesar Peixoto’s appointment appears to have given Traore a fresh start, as he had a decent pre-season, and he has been involved in the last two games, which included impressing in the EFL Cup win at Sheffield Wednesday in the week.

Wolves reject £3.5m offer for Boubacar Traore from Anderlecht

Nevertheless, with Traore not a guaranteed starter, and his contract expiring in 2027, even if the club have a 12-month option, there was a feeling the Mali international could move on in the current window.

And, it appears Anderlecht have tried to test Wolves’ resolve, as they made a £3.5m bid for Traore, but the Express & Star has confirmed that the offer has been rejected.

They explain that it ‘fell way below’ the valuation of Traore, and whilst it can’t be ruled out that Anderlecht, or any other club, make a bigger offer for the player, they add that there is an expectation that he will stay at Wolves.

It has been claimed previously that Portsmouth and Racing Santander were also monitoring Traore ahead of the deadline.

Boubacar Traore could have a role to play in Wolves’ promotion push

Firstly, it’s highly unlikely that Wolves were ever going to accept £3.5m for Traore, as they paid a lot more to bring him in, and, even though they won’t recoup that £11m, the bid from the Belgians is very low.

But, more importantly, Traore could be a valuable player for Peixoto to have in midfield this season, and he has shown what he can offer in recent weeks.

At his best, Traore is brilliant at covering the ground and winning the ball back, and whilst he isn’t the best passer, he can keep it simple.

Therefore, he looks ideally suited to be Andre’s backup this season, as he is probably the most natural number six in the squad outside the Brazilian.

So, he will be an important part of the squad moving forward, and he could also play alongside Andre if needed, even if Jordan James and Marshall Munetsi are more natural box-to-box midfielders.

Wolves could have a busy end to the transfer deadline

Despite that, there’s no denying that Wolves have a big squad, as Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Tommy Doyle are also options in midfield, so it seems unrealistic to keep all of those players at the club, although the latter has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.

Not only will it be difficult to keep all of those players happy, but, from a financial perspective, it won’t be what Wolves want either.

As well as that, forwards Hwang Hee-chan and Saša Kalajdžić are not needed, and there are doubts about the futures of Santi Bueno and Ladislav Krejčí.

So, it could be a busy end to the window, and fans will be hoping to see at least one new signing in the final third, but players may need to move on to make that happen.