Wolves want to sign midfielder Dani Ceballos this summer, as revealed by Sport via Sport Witness.
The 24-year-old has spent the last two years on loan at Arsenal, but has now returned to his parent club, Real Madrid.
The Spanish club are reportedly open to selling Ceballos, who wants a permanent move rather than going out on loan again next year, for around €30m (£25.8m). AC Milan and Real Betis are also interested in the 11-cap international, although the Italian giants only want to make a loan move for Ceballos, while Betis need to offload players before they can put a bid in.
Meanwhile, Wolves are believed to be able to match Real's asking price, seemingly giving them an advantage over their rivals for his signature. However, there is a potential stumbling block, as Ceballos is reportedly not keen on returning to the Premier League in 2021/22.
If Wolves can overcome this hurdle, would Ceballos be a good signing for the club?
GIVEMESPORT's Sam Brookes, Jonathan Gorrie, Joshua Cole and Christy Malyan give their thoughts below...
Sam Brookes
"If Wolves did decide to pay £25.8m for Ceballos, he would be the fourth-most expensive signing in their history. When paying a fee of this magnitude, a side needs to be sure of what they're getting, and I'm not convinced that's the case with the Spanish international.
"Only three Arsenal players delivered more key passes than Ceballos (27) in the league this term (via WhoScored), showing that he is clearly a talented player.
"However, he did not produce the goods consistently, which is why he started less than half of Arsenal's top-flight matches this year.
"Considering the player himself does not seem to want to play in the Premier League it would be too big a risk for Wolves to splash out so much money on Ceballos in the hope that he can rediscover his mojo. They should end their pursuit of the creative midfielder and turn their attentions elsewhere."
Jonathan Gorrie
"While Dani Ceballos didn't exactly set the world alight at Arsenal, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who did.
"As a calm and collected option to fill in alongside Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves, the Spaniard looks a sensible signing.
"Moutinho clearly cannot go on forever and, at 34, may need his minutes managed. According to WhoScored data, Ceballos can offer something similar.
"Indeed, they both averaged similar passes per game last season (52.2 to 50.9) at a similar successful percentage (88.4 to 87.2) while also averaging the same amount of interceptions (1.4).
Although not as esteemed as the Portuguese, Ceballos is experienced in the Premier League and would be a step-up in terms of back-up.
"A clever signing, rather than an eye-catching one."
Joshua Cole
“Despite showing a great deal of promise during the early stages of his career, Ceballos’ development has stalled somewhat in recent years due to his inability to deliver the goods on a consistent basis in the Premier League.
“After being limited to 23 starts in all competitions for Arsenal last season, the Spaniard is now at a crossroads in terms of his career as he is unlikely to force his way into Real Madrid’s plans for the future due to the presence of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.
“Whereas Ceballos would unquestionably add a different dimension to Wolves’ midfield due to his undoubted technical ability, he may not necessarily be an upgrade on the club’s existing options as Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves have managed to form a fruitful partnership at Molineux.
"Splashing the cash on the midfielder could turn out to be a major error, and Bruno Lage would be better off revitalising his side by using this money to bolster his options in a number of different positions.”
Christy Malyan
"For whatever reason, Dani Ceballos didn't show his true self this season. He was only trusted to start on 17 occasions in the top-flight and struggled to make any real impact. The Spaniard has since claimed his style of play doesn't particularly suit the Premier League, so maybe confidence in his own abilities has been a problem of late.
"But ultimately, I disagree with the midfielder. Ceballos showed on his first Premier League start that he can make an impact in this country by grabbing a pair of assists against Burnley, and certainly towards the tail-end of his first season, he was one of the Gunners' more productive players when they dominated possession.
"It hasn't quite worked out for him under Mikel Arteta but placed in a different context in a different team with a different manager at Wolves, I'm sure he can thrive. The sheer fact he's currently a Real Madrid player highlights his pedigree and Joao Moutinho provides a perfect example of how Wolves have managed to get the best out of technical talents, even when they lack the physicality expected of Premier League players these days."