If Wolves want to spend any form of sizeable cash this summer, their incoming manager will be faced with the prospect of losing his best players due to the club's tight budget.
That wouldn’t be an ideal start for Bruno Lage or whoever the boss will be next season.
Ruben Neves feels like the most expendable in terms of a high fee this summer. The Portugal midfielder could fetch as much as £35m, with Liverpool coveting his signature in the past.
What's the word?
Considering that Wolves won’t be able to spend much in the coming months, they will have to work shrewdly in the window. That begins by sending Willian Jose back to Real Sociedad and refusing to exercise their £18m option to buy after his underwhelming stint in the Midlands.
Instead, the Old Gold should consider spending that sum of money on Orlando City striker Daryl Dike. The 20-year-old has been linked with a move to Molineux over the weekend, with Everton and a number of other Premier League clubs interested.
His opening campaign in English football was a roaring success, smashing in nine goals in 21 Championship outings during a loan spell with Barnsley.
The Tykes could sign him for £18m but are now troubled by their failure to win promotion to the Premier League, so Wolves could spot an opening as they attempt to bring the young American to the Midlands.
The new Afobe?
Renowned for his immense strength, there are few players who possess more physical power than Dike. Writing about the forward previously, The Athletic’s Joseph Lowery said: “At 6’1”, 220 pounds, it shouldn’t come as a shock that Dike is a force in the box.”
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The striker is a brutal opponent for any defender and, after starring in the Championship, he could be Wolves’ new Benik Afobe.
The Arsenal academy graduate is now playing in Turkey but enjoyed a productive spell in the second tier with the Old Gold, for whom he netted 13 goals in 21 outings across the 2014/15 campaign.
Similar to Dike, the former Wolves attacker was a brutal force of nature. Eddie Howe once commented: “He's strong, you just look at him and know he is going to be a handful, but he has good technique.”
Afobe was also productive at bringing others into play, registering five assists during the aforementioned season.
Wolves target Dike played a pivotal role in the build-up phases of play for Barnsley this season too, using his strength to hold defenders off and bring others into play.
Possessing similar qualities and having found the back of the net at a similar rate in the Championship, there are obvious comparisons to make with Afobe.
After Wolves struggled so much in front of goal this season with Raul Jimenez out injured, the arrival of Dike would surely be a welcome one. After all, he is a "ruthless" individual, according to his former coach George Gelnovatch.