Wolverhampton Wanderers hold a 'huge advantage' in their pursuit of Craig Dawson and there is 'real potential' the West Ham United star could be lured to Molineux in January, according to journalist Pete O'Rourke.
The West Midlands club spent more than £120million during the summer transfer window, but head coach Bruno Lage was unable to get a move for Dawson over the line hours before the deadline.
GiveMeSport Transfer Verdict
What's the latest news involving Dawson?
Dawson appeared to be on his way to Wolves as the transfer deadline neared earlier this month, but West Ham pulled the plug after failing to sign Southampton central defender Jan Bednarek as a replacement.
Instead of heading to east London, the Pole joined Aston Villa on a season-long loan and, in turn, scuppered Lage's plans at the eleventh hour.
ExWHUemployee has revealed that Dawson was frustrated to see his move to Molineux blocked and West Ham could sanction his exit when the transfer window reopens at the turn of the year for family reasons.
Dawson's £52,000-per-week contract is due to expire in the summer, meaning January will be the Hammers' final opportunity to cash-in on his services.
However, it is understood that West Ham are looking to buy themselves more time by persuading the 32-year-old to put pen-to-paper and agree to a one-year extension.
What has Pete O'Rourke said about Dawson?
O'Rourke expects Wolves to go back in for Dawson and attempt to win the battle for his signature when the transfer window reopens for business.
The journalist feels the centre-half's desire to move closer to his family gives the West Midlands outfit the edge in negotiations.
O'Rourke told GIVEMESPORT: "I think there's real potential this move could be rekindled in the January window.
"The reason that Dawson wanted to leave was for family and personal reasons because he wanted to move closer to his family home.
"It's something that's still going to be on his mind and he wants to secure that move back to the Midlands. Obviously, that gives Wolves a huge advantage because they can offer Dawson that."
Has failing to sign Dawson come back to haunt Wolves?
Nathan Collins joined in a £20.5million deal from Burnley during the summer and he has struck up a fruitful partnership with Max Kilman at the heart of the defence.
They have made eight appearances alongside one another, but the Irishman was sent off during the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City last time out, leaving Lage short of options as Wolves prepare to head to West Ham on October 1.
This is when having Dawson, who is still searching for his first Premier League outing of the season, would have been ideal.
The former West Bromwich Albion and Watford man would have also made Wolves more of a threat from set-pieces as he marked his first start of the campaign by grabbing a goal as West Ham overcame Danish side Silkeborg in a Europa Conference League group stage clash earlier this month.