Insider ExWHUemployee has claimed that Wolves probably won't be able to pull off a January transfer for Michail Antonio despite their genuine interest.

What’s the word?

The West Ham United striker has been tipped to leave his club this winter with David Moyes said to potentially be ready to consider offers if a new striker arrives in east London –  on top of the signing of Danny Ings.

Wolves have been named in The Sun as one club who are keen on signing the forward, while Chelsea were also linked with him at one stage

However, it sounds as though West Ham will be careful with who they sell to, and this could rule Julen Lopetegui's team out of the race.

Indeed, while speaking on The West Ham Way podcast, Ex claimed that he'd be surprised if he was sold to Wolves this winter.

He explained: “Wolves have also made an enquiry for him. I'd be surprised if we allowed Antonio to go to Wolves.

"Obviously, they've allowed Dawson to go but there were other factors behind that.

"Antonio, I’d be surprised if they did, because he hasn’t got the same issues and stuff but it’ll be worth keeping an eye on that.”

Time for a return?

As Ex mentions, the two clubs have done some business together in recent times with Craig Dawson joining Wolves for a cut-price – though this was because he wanted to move closer to home due to personal reasons.

Seeing as Antonio's situation isn't quite the same, West Ham may well be reluctant to sell to their Premier League rivals again, especially with the two potentially caught up in a relegation fight this season.

We've seen how selling to a direct competitor can be a foolish thing to do, with Manchester City handing Arsenal a big boost in the title race by giving them Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko in the summer.

With that in mind, Wolves may have to look elsewhere if they want to add some more attacking depth to their squad this winter. With zero goals to his name this season, Diego Costa certainly hasn't delivered the goods and so Lopetegui will surely be hoping for some more alternative options.