Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Diego Costa is 'likely' to leave Molineux in the summer as he was only ever a 'short-term solution' to help with their forward options, transfer insider Dean Jones has informed GIVEMESPORT.

The 34-year-old joined the Old Gold on a free transfer last September after a spell in Brazil at Atletico Miniero after summer arrival Sasa Kalajdzic sustained an ACL injury.

Wolves latest transfer news - Diego Costa

Last month, The Mirror reported that Costa faces an uncertain future at Wolves due to his lack of first-team involvement under Julen Lopetegui.

In the last few weeks, the veteran wasn't involved in any capacity for the Premier League outfit against West Ham United, Manchester City and Liverpool; nevertheless, returned last weekend to play an important part in Wolves' 2-1 victory over Southampton last weekend at St Mary's Stadium.

Wolves were reduced to ten men in the encounter when Mario Lemina was sent off for a second bookable offence. However, they rallied in the latter stages of the match and Costa played a part in their equaliser before Joao Gomes stunned the home crowd with an 87th minute winner.

Costa is out of contract this summer on his current terms at Molineux, where he is said to earn £62,000 per week, as per Salary Sport.

What has Dean Jones said about Diego Costa?

Transfer insider Jones thinks that it is 'unlikely' that Costa will stay at Molineux beyond the end of this season.

Jones told GMS: "I mean, it was always viewed as a short-term solution this one while they figured out how to move forward; it's not impossible to get another year if things were to really pick up, but it's still unlikely that he stays."

Will Costa leave Wolves at the end of the season?

In all likelihood, Costa seems almost certain to depart Wolves at the end of the season owing to the abundance of striking options now present at the club.

Loanee Matheus Cunha has an obligation to buy included in his loan deal from Atletico Madrid, while Hwang hee-Chan, Raul Jimenez and Kalajdzic remain on the books at Molineux for the time being.

Realistically, Costa was brought in as an out-of-window signing last year to help plug the gap left by injuries that decimated Wolves' forward line and was never going to be a reliable long-term for the Old Gold moving forward.

For now, his main focus will be helping his side to evade relegation from the Premier League before assessing his next steps in the summer.