Wolverhampton Wanderers have been dealt a blow in their bid to land a new centre-forward amid reports that Italy international Andrea Belotti has rejected a move to Molineux.

What's the word?

According to Calciomercato, the 28-year-old has declined the opportunity to join the Old Gold this summer, with the striker seemingly holding out for a move to Jose Mourinho's AS Roma instead.

The Premier League outfit are said to have made an 'attempt' to land the free agent - who ended his seven-year association with Torino earlier this summer - but the player appears to have his heart set on a move to the Stadio Olimpico, with the report also suggesting that he has turned down other rival offers.

The 5 foot 11 marksman had also previously been linked with a move to West Ham United earlier in the summer.

Blow for Lage and Wolves

That news will no doubt have been a real blow to Bruno Lage, with the Wolves manager seemingly intent on strengthening his attacking ranks before the September 1st deadline, with signing a new marksman now a "case of urgency", according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

While the Old Gold have already added Goncalo Guedes to the squad this summer - along with securing the permanent capture of former loanee Hwang Hee-chan - neither is a genuine centre-forward option, hence the need to press on for a further striking recruit.

While Mexico international Raul Jimenez is now available once again following his return from injury at the weekend, the 31-year-old has endured a tough spell in front of goal of late, scoring just six league goals last season.

The team as a whole only netted 38 times in the top-flight during the 2021/22 campaign - the fourth-worst record in the division - while they have only scored once in the opening three games of the new season.

That goal-shy trend looks set to continue unless a new centre-forward addition is made before the window is out, with it set to be a real source of frustration that Belotti has seemingly opted against making the move to England.

The one-time Palermo man has been a prolific presence in Italian football in recent years, notably racking up 113 goals in 251 games during his time in Turin, having also recorded a respectable haul of 12 goals in 44 games for his country.

Although he netted just eight league goals last season - his lowest Serie A tally since the 2014/15 campaign - that figure was still higher than any member of the Wolves squad last term, with Jimenez and Daniel Podence topping the charts with a mere six goals apiece in all competitions.

The £18m-rated ace has proven to be a hugely reliable goalscorer throughout his career thus far, notably enjoying a "monster season" - in the words of Yomi Kazeem - during the 2016/17 campaign, in which he bagged 26 goals and provided five assists in 35 league games.

A potential bargain addition who is almost a sure-fire guarantee of goals, Belotti could well have been the man to solve Lage's attacking woes.