Wolves' hopes of signing Diego Costa on a free transfer have taken a real blow and it could leave Bruno Lage's side in a real mess if they cannot sign him.

What's the word?

Following the ACL injury suffered by new signing Sasa Kalajdzic on his Wolves debut last weekend, as well as Raul Jimenez not being fully fit, Lage seemingly identified a short-term solution in former Chelsea and Atletico Madrid man Diego Costa.

It was reported that Wolves were set to sign the 33-year-old striker on a free transfer and that he was already flying to England in order to finalise a deal with Lage's side.

However, his work permit was rejected and it now seems unlikely that he will be able to be registered as a Wolves player, with Express and Star journalist Liam Keen suggesting that his move "hangs in the balance."

Costa fails to qualify for enough points to earn a work permit, as he has not played for international side Spain since 2018, while he has been without a club since leaving Atletico Mineiro in January.

A huge blow for Lage?

Not only does the move for Costa 'hang in the balance' but the same could well be said of their entire season if they fail to sign an additional striker of quality in the coming days.

This blow is seemingly representative of Wolves' season as a whole, as they have already shown last season and at the beginning of 2022/23 that goalscoring is a problem, with just 38 goals in the previous campaign.

The Old Gold have scored just three times in six games this term and without Kalajdzic and Costa, they would once again be forced to rely upon Jimenz, who managed just six goals in the top flight last time out.

Unless they address these goalscoring issues it is hard to see their difficult start to the new season improving, and Lage's side could find themselves in real trouble if a striker isn't brought in before January.

Costa, while a controversial figure, slammed in 59 goals in 120 appearances at Chelsea and was also prolific at Atletico Madrid, hitting 83 goals across two spells there. As a result, he could have offered a real goalscoring threat in Lage's side, as well as being a nuisance to Premier League defenders with his aggressiveness and physicality.

Therefore, Lage will be very worried about his striker situation at Molineux if Costa doesn't sign, and the Old Gold could be in for a season of struggle after this setback. The 2022/23 campaign certainly hangs in the balance for them right now.