Wolves making late drive for £25m CB who Newcastle have been pushing to sign

Wolves are making a last-ditch effort to acquire the £25 million CB that Newcastle has been vying for.

According to reporter Simon Phillips, Wolverhampton Wanderers are currently making a last-ditch effort to sign a defender for £25 million, who has been coveted by Newcastle United. One of Vitor Pereira’s top priorities after Nelson Semedo’s departure is to sign a replacement right-back before the Premier League season begins in less than two weeks.

The Old Gold have agreed to pay £14.8 million to sign Juanlu, a defender for Sevilla, but they have not yet finalised the deal because the 21-year-old wants to join Serie A winners Napoli, who have also been mentioned as possible bidders. Another player on the shortlist is Ryerson of Borussia Dortmund; the right-back’s agents were recently contacted, however newly promoted Sunderland might compete for his services.

Adding a new right-back is crucial now that Semedo’s contract has expired, but Pereira would also be eager to expand his options in central defence because his team shipped the most goals of any team to escape relegation the previous season. Wolves are reportedly making a last-ditch effort to recruit Chelsea centre-back Axel Disasi, according to Phillips (via Molineux News). Newcastle United has also been pursuing a deal with the defender for a while. Although it was originally reported that the Blues could hold out for £25 million, Chelsea is willing to approve Disasi’s transfer this summer. However, they have mostly received loan-to-buy proposals up to this moment.

The French defender, once called a “monster” by journalist Rahman Osman, has failed to fit into Enzo Maresca’s plans, but he did make an impression while on loan at Aston Villa in the second half of the 2024–25 season. Villa reportedly wanted to sign the 27-year-old permanently after impressing officials with his training commitment and mentality while he was with Unai Emery’s team.

The five-time France international made 10 appearances for the Villans, showing promise both in the air and with the ball. He finished in the 90th percentile for aerials won over the previous year and in the 95th percentile for pass completion rate per 90. Disasi has what it takes to succeed at Molineux, and Wolves may now be ready to focus on bolstering their defence after making significant offensive upgrades this summer with the addition of players like Jhon Arias and Fer Lopez.

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