Wolves and Leeds United face new threat in Jordan James race | OneFootball

The Welsh international has become sought-after ahead of the transfer window

Having recently been relegated from the Premier League for the first time in eight years, there will be a great sense of expectation on the shoulders of Wolverhampton Wanderers' players and Rob Edwards to mount a promotion bid at the very first opportunity.

Indeed, the Old Gold and Black's return to the Championship became a question of 'when, rather than if?' for the majority of the last eight months, even after the 43-year-old replaced Vitor Pereira - now of Nottingham Forest - as head coach in rather controversial circumstances in November following his exit from Middlesbrough.

Unsurprisingly, some of the club's more high-profile earners have already been linked with moves away from Molineux as the opening of the summer transfer window looms large.

That said, the recent contract extension of Brazilian midfielder, Andre, on a four-year deal, was a move which also reaffirmed the ambitions of Nathan Shi and the rest of the Wanderers hierarchy that they plan on being a Championship club yet again for as little time as possible.

Although there are clear attractions to a club of Wolves' stature in the second tier, they, like the other 23 outfits in the division, will also have to bear in mind the recently-implemented Squad Cost Rules, which limit spends on players and managers to within a maximum of 85% of funds generated.

However, some of the names already linked with transfer moves to WV1 have been particularly eye-catching, although the Black Country outfit are no longer the only club seeing a potential move for Welsh international, Jordan James, under threat.

Wolves and Leeds United's moves for Jordan James under threat as Atalanta join race

Indeed, the 21-year-old midfielder has been one of the Championship's leading individual performers in 2025/26 for Leicester City, with a record of 11 goals and four assists coming in spite of the Foxes' relegation to League One.

James was signed on loan by the East Midlands outfit last summer from Stade Rennais, and also won the Championship's Young Player of the Season award, two years on from a previous nomination for said accolade during his time at Birmingham City.

Rennes invested a reported £8m fee into the Hereford native's services back in August 2024 following Blues' own relegation to the third tier, and his performances at the King Power Stadium have attracted many suitors.

Wolves have reportedly expressed an interest in James, as well as Coventry City forward, Ellis Simms, whilst the likes of Sheffield United and their Yorkshire rivals, Leeds United, have also been credited with potential ambitions in a move for the 26-time international.

However, James has also garnered interest from overseas, with Alan Nixon recently reporting that Villarreal had opened talks with his parent club over a potential cut-price deal, and now the journalist has provided a fresh update.

Nixon now states that Serie A outfit, Atalanta, have monitored his situation for many months and believe they are close to striking a deal with Rennes, with James viewed as the ideal man to replace Brazilian midfielder, Ederson.

There is every chance that a player of James' versatility and ability would have flourished in Edwards' system at Molineux as part of a much-needed rebuild.

However, as the links to Villarreal, the all-action midfielder could be swayed to the New Balance Arena due to Atalanta's involvement in the UEFA Conference League after finishing seventh in Serie A.

Meanwhile, the nature of Raffaele Palladino's interest strongly suggests that James could be thrown straight into his plans when it comes to the starting lineup, even though one would also assume that to be the case if he was to move back to the West Midlands, with Wolves set to lose Joao Gomes to Atlético Madrid with a £39m deal already agreed in principle.