Wolverhampton Wanderers are edging closer to completing their first summer signing as a LaLiga veteran has been linked with the club.
It’s set to be a difficult transfer window for Julen Lopetegui, considering the recent revelation of Wolves’ FFP woes, however, the Spaniard will aim to improve his squad where possible ahead of next season.
The latest link could be a significant midfield upgrade, and a suitable candidate to take the throne from a departing star.
What’s the latest on Geoffrey Kondogbia to Wolves?
As reported by Turkish outlet Taktik Mania via scout and player agent Berk Bekgoz, Wolves are preparing to meet representatives of Geoffrey Kondogbia this week.
The report comes from the point of view of Fenerbahce and Besiktas, who are interested in the Atletico Madrid midfielder, with the outcome of his talks with Wolves understood to be influential as to whether he meets the Turkish clubs.
The 30-year-old machine has been on the radar at Molineux since January, as told by Fabrizio Romano who revealed that Wolves approached the Spanish giants in the winter window for his services.
What could Geoffrey Kondogbia offer Wolves?
Having once been lauded as a “monster” by former talkSPORT reporter James Dodd, the 6 foot 2 powerhouse could be a revelation in midfield for first-team boss Julen Lopetegui.
With Ruben Neves expected to depart this summer, a significant vacancy will be left in the Spaniard’s midfield, with Joao Moutinho also signing off from his duties at Molineux.
A lack of game time has linked the Central African Republic enforcer with a move away from Madrid, having started just 10 games in LaLiga this campaign, as per Sofascore.
Despite featuring sporadically for Diego Simeone’s side, Kondogbia has maintained an average match rating of 6.97 in LaLiga, as well as winning 62% of his total duels in averaging 3.8 per game.
Not having consistent game time can typically see an individual's performance drop, however, this has evidently not been the case for the Wolves target, as he has shown that he could be a strong contender to lead the Molineux midfield next season.
The Midlands club’s departing captain has performed on a similar level to Kondogbia, suggesting that the £107k-per-week gem could be a good fit for Lopetegui’s requirements in the middle of the park.
While the two are almost identical in terms of their average rate of interceptions per game, with Neves scoring 1.4 and Kondogbia 1.3 in that area, the Nemours-born ace could prove to be a stronger fit than the Portuguese defensively.
As per Sofascore, the Atletico midfielder was dribbled past on average just 0.4 times per game, considerably less than the 26-year-old Barcelona target who was dribbled past 1.2 times per game this season, suggesting he could be a warrior in the engine room.
Despite being described as a ‘pass master’ by members of the media, the Portuguese whiz falls short of Kondogbia in terms of passing accuracy, having registered 84% accurate passes per game to the 30-year-old’s 89%.
Also hailed as “world-class” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Lopetegui could ease the blow of losing the likes of Neves and Moutinho this summer by securing the high-profile midfielder, who with a key role in the team could repeat his best form under the Spanish tactician at Molineux.