Wolves set £40m transfer demands as Crystal Palace and Leeds United eye duo | OneFootball

Wolves have revealed their valuations of both Fer Lopez and Matheus Mane amid interest elsewhere

Wolves have placed significant transfer price-tags on the heads of both Fer Lopez and Matheus Mane, with the playmaking pair attracting interest from the likes of Crystal Palace, Atalanta and Leeds United following strong starts in the Old Gold's Championship promotion bid.

Following on from a disappointing result against Blackburn Rovers on the opening weekend of their return to the Championship, Wolverhampton Wanderers have rallied with two convincing wins. The mood around Molineux has been substantially lifted by a 3-1 win at Preston and a 4-1 win against Stoke City, a pair of results which have lifted them to third place in the early-season table.

One of the more impressive figures throughout the start of this season for them has been Fer Lopez, the Spanish midfielder who signed for the club in a deal worth £19 million in the summer of 2025. He scored two excellent goals at Preston, and his form has already started to attract the interest of potential Premier League suitors.

But Wolves, according to reports, are sticking to their guns over wanting to retain Lopez, and the club are understood to have set his value at £40 million, an amount which may deter those who are circling from making a move for the gifted playmaker.

Wolves have set a high a price for any club who want to tempt Fer Lopez away from Molineux

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According to journalist Alan Nixon, Wolves have set the price for Fer Lopez at a level which is likely to mean that the two clubs that have been linked with him, Crystal Palace and Atalanta, are unlikely to make a move.

Reporting on his Patreon on Sunday morning, Nixon reflects that Palace and Atalanta are "probably wasting their time" over their interest in the talented attacking midfield starlet, with Wolves having put a £40 million price-tag on Lopez's head.

He confirms that Palace are looking at Lopez as a possible replacement for Ismaila Sarr, should that player leave the club, and that there is a connection between the Eagles and Wolves in that the Palace Director of Football Matt Hobbs used to be at Molineux.

Nixon also reports interest in Lopez, with Atalanta's head scout having a considerable interest, while Leeds United are said to be interested in Mateus Mane, but that Wolves have "put a similar price on his head."

What fans have been saying about Fer Lopez on social media

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Fer Lopez's sensational start to the 2026-27 season for Wolverhampton Wanderers has prompted a lot of social media comment. Here's a selection of what's being said about their in-demand sensation.

This Wolves fan believes that the sky could be the limit for Lopez:

This fan is impressed by the way in which his club has emerged in a good position following relegation from the Premier League:

And this fan feels that his club need prepare for the possibility of Lopez being the best player in the world:

Fer Lopez has been the surprise early breakout star of Wolves' 2026-27 season

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The pulse of most Wolves fans was quickened by the return of a striker from another club, but it wasn't Fer Lopez. The return of Raul Jimenez from Fulham caused huge excitement, and this was marked by Jimenez scoring a stoppage-time penalty kick to rescue a 2-2 draw from their opening game of the season against Blackburn Rovers, with Lopez picking up an assist for their first goal.

But it's Fer Lopez who's been hogging the headlines since then. He scored two outstanding goals as Wolves eased to a 3-1 win at Preston in their second match, and also contributed an assist for Justin James to add the final goal in a comprehensive 4-1 win against Stoke City which left them near the top of the Championship table as the summer transfer window comes to a close.

But such a burst of form will inevitably attract interest from elsewhere. Perhaps the only option for a club in the position in which Wolves find themselves over Lopez is to set a prohibitively high transfer fee for him. Lopez is only 22 years of age, but he signed a five-year contract with the club in 2025, so they are under no obligation to sell whatsoever.

It had looked as though his arrival from Celta Vigo might not have worked out. Signed by Wolves for £19 million, there were high hopes for him, but after being unable to lock down a place in the first-team squad he was loaned back to his former club, returning at the end of the season.

There had been no guarantees that he would even get regular first-team football, but his early-season form has already elevated him to being one of Wolves' most important players, and with the size of the prize for returning to the Premier League being so huge, the club will have to receive an extremely tempting offer to persuade them to sell him. As could be seen from the Preston and Stoke games, Wolves are clicking into gear very nicely indeed, and nobody at Molineux will want to disrupt that.