Wolves ‘really keen’ to sign £31k-a-week star with deal imminent at Molineux

Wolverhampton Wanderers were always ‘really keen’ on signing Nice midfielder Mario Lemina with the player due to have a medical today., talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook has told GiveMeSport.

Julen Lopetegui is in the market this window to boost his squad as he aims to avoid relegation from the Premier League, with the former Fulham man looking set to be the latest addition at Molineux.

Wolves transfer news – Mario Lemina?

Wolves were heavily linked with the midfielder prior to the opening of the January transfer window, but it has taken until nearly halfway through to make significant process with a deal agreed with Nice, as per The Athletic.

As per the same report, the fee for the Gabon international will be around £10m and personal terms are not expected to be an issue for the Molineux club as they look to strengthen.

Lemina is currently on £31k-a-week at Ligue 1 side Nice according to Salary Sport, and he will give Spanish coach Lopetegui some much-needed room for manoeuvre in the middle of the park in light of a dearth of options.

Matheus Cunha has already moved to the West Midlands from Atletico Madrid on an initial loan deal with an option to purchase, with Wolves not waiting around in their bid to solidify squad depth.

What has Alex Crook said about Mario Lemina?

Journalist Alex Crook says Wolves were always ‘really keen’ to sign the former Southampton and Fulham man and due to the low price, he was slightly bemused as to why it hadn’t happened earlier.

Crook told GMS: “They were really keen on Lemina and actually I thought that deal might have been done sooner because it’s not a lot of money involved.

“So I’m not sure what the hold-up was there, but he definitely was one of their top targets.”

Will Lemina be a good signing for Wolves?

Possessing experience both in the Premier League and on the continent, Lemina would be a tidy piece of business for Wolves that would add composure on the ball and some bite in midfield.

Primarily used in a holding role, he has made 21 appearances for Nice this season, making two goal contributions; one goal and one assist, as per Transfermarkt.

Tackling and circulating possession are his best qualities, with WhoScored showing that Lemina has won an average of 2.5 tackles per match in Ligue 1 this campaign, while his passing accuracy stands at 89.9% across the piece.

FotMob has also given the Libreville-born star an impressive rating of 7.12/10 for his performances in the French top flight, demonstrating that Lemina is a consistent performer when utilised in the right system.

Though it may be hard to displace the likes of Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes in the starting lineup, Lemina would be a handy option for the Old Gold either as a starter or a squad player over the next few months.

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