With Wolves currently searching for a new manager, their minds are likely to be away from the player recruitment.
However, with a deal for Bruno Lage reaching a conclusion, they can begin to think about his first signings.
What’s the word?
Wolves will need to sell in order to spend big this summer but one player they could target under Lage is Barcelona’s Carles Alena.
The Spaniard spent the 2020/21 campaign on loan at Getafe but it doesn’t look as though Barca are too keen on keeping him at the club.
RAC1 (via Inside Futbol) claim that Wolves are one of a number of options for Alena in the upcoming transfer window.
They reveal that Valencia, Granada and Getafe have all put forward proposals to sign him this summer.
Transfermarkt currently rate the midfielder at just £13.5m so a deal for the player nicknamed Maradona could come cheap.
Better than Vitinha?
Wolves will have plenty to ponder in the coming weeks and they will need to decide whether they want to sign Vitinha on a permanent basis.
The youngster has been playing for Portugal during the U21 European Championships and could join the Molineux outfit due to an option to buy clause.
[snack-amp-story url= "https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-wolves-transfer-news-guedes-toney-shaqiri-neves" title="Read the latest Wolves transfer news!"]
He spent the season on loan with the Old Gold and caught the eye towards the end of the campaign.
Though, despite his immense potential, he didn’t actually earn many minutes. Vitinha started just a handful of matches in the Premier League and only scored one goal in all competitions.
His energy and ability to beat a man was captivating but Alena could be a better option for Wolves this summer.
The midfielder can play in an array of positions but it’s just behind the striker where the 23-year-old has looked most comfortable throughout his career.
Possessing the ability to score and create goals, he’s attempted to craft himself in a similar way to the likes of Deco and Andres Iniesta.
Speaking previously, Alena said: “Rivaldo was my idol when I was little. Then there was Deco, who played in my position. Now I look a lot at Andres Iniesta, just like I did with Xavi before. That's the type of profile that interests me, in order to learn and translate that on the field of play."
Composed in possession of the football, the Barcelona midfielder has similar qualities to Vitinha but crucially, has more experience. His numbers also look far more impressive for a number 10.
He produced 1.4 shots and 1.1 key passes per game this season compared to the 0.4 shots and 0.6 key passes per match registered by Vitinha.
There is untapped potential in both players but Alena has already proven himself at an elite club and in a top-five league. The Wolves loanee, however, is still a relatively unknown quantity.