Wolves could be heading for a major disaster over Ruben Neves, as the midfielder appeared to make a tearful goodbye to the supporters following yesterday's 1-1 draw against Norwich.
The club have excelled since achieving promotion from the Championship in 2018, with Nuno Espirito Santo leading them to consecutive seventh-place finishes before a disappointing 13th place spot last year.
Nuno joined Tottenham Hotspur last season and Bruno Lage has responded well, securing a top-half Premier League spot with a match left to play.
Next season could see the manager having to undertake a rebuild of sorts. Replacing Neves will be key if the Portuguese midfielder does leave.
The 25-year-old has been linked with a move away from the Molineux, with Barcelona being one of the teams to state their interest in the player ahead of the summer transfer window.
Journalist Dean Jones explained to GIVEMESPORT: “I think £70million is unrealistic for Ruben Neves and Wolves will know that, but I can see it settling out at £40million to £50million.”
That's a vast sum of money and a fee that could allow Lage to invest in signing another top-class midfielder to replace him.
Having had “sensational” praise lavished on him in the past by Tim Spiers and Lage won’t want to see one of his finest players leave the club, but if a big-money bid comes in, he would be hard-pressed to turn it down.
With a WhoScored rating of 6.86, Neves currently ranks fifth out of the Wolves squad this season, showing his importance to the team. He has also chipped in with four goals and two assists in the Premier League this season.
That tally of goal involvements is only bettered by Raul Jimenez this term so losing such a high percentage of their creativity and goal-scoring ability would be disastrous.
Neves has clearly been influential in the club's resurgence into a top-flight mainstay over the previous four years and his departure would almost signal the end of an era.
Whatever happens, the player has made his mark on the club and hopefully, Lage can persuade him to stay for another season. If he can't, then he will understandably be rather upset.