Wolverhampton Wanderers have turned up their pursuit for midfielder Alex Scott, as Julen Lopetegui bids to bolster his midfield this transfer window.
The Spaniard has had his eye on the Bristol City marvel since January, and now reports are claiming that the Midlands side have made a move for the 19-year-old.
How much is Alex Scott worth?
Valued at €15.4m (£13.2m) by FootballTransfers, the teenager has lit up the Championship since his rise through the Robbins’ academy.
Now, the Guernsey-born gem could seek a path into the Premier League, with the Telegraph reporting that Wolves are to make a ‘£20m-plus’ bid for the midfielder.
Earlier this month the Old Gold had a bid in the region of £18m rejected for the youngster, however he remains a ‘prime target’ for Lopetegui as highlighted through the improved offer.
How good is Alex Scott?
Hailed as an “unbelievable player” by Pep Guardiola earlier this year, Scott has received the seal of approval in his hopes to progress in his budding career.
The combative midfielder was named as the Championship’s Young Player of the Year last term, the 19-year-old made a mammoth 49 appearances in all competitions in the 2022/23 campaign, including a stellar performance against Premier League opposition in the FA Cup.
Earning a Sofascore match rating of 7.0 against treble winners Manchester City, the teenager made a statement to his admirers in the top-tier, to highlight that he’s capable of holding the fort against the best of the best.
For Wolves, the swoop for the player valued at £25m by his club, comes at the perfect time, with Lopetegui parting ways with two key figures in his midfield already this window, with Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho departing for pastures new.
The Molineux captain opted for a lucrative challenge in the Saudi Pro League, signing for Al-Hilal for £47m in a deal beneficial to the Midlands side in the wake of their financial worries.
Bidding farewell to the Portuguese ace freed up finances and left a vacancy in the squad, both potentially key factors to Lopetegui’s pursuit of Scott.
Despite still being in his teenage years and playing just two full seasons at senior level, the youngster could be a suitable candidate to take the 26-year-old’s throne in the Midlands.
Lauded as being one of the “most interesting” England U21 talents by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the box-to-box whiz could be the figure to ease Molineux’s mourning of their well-loved captain.
When comparing the two on their respective 2022/23 league campaigns, the numbers suggest that Lopetegui could seek a player with the potential to be of a similar calibre to Neves.
As per FBref’s comparisons, the Englishman flexed his combative nature in the middle of the park through an average of 2.05 tackles per 90, just shy of the 26-year-old’s 2.36 per 90 in the Premier League.
A strong carrier of the ball, Scott averaged an impressive 2.34 progressive carries to the former Wolves man’s 0.83 per 90, suggesting the benefits he could have in the Spaniard’s set-up.
Despite being one of Molineux’s key threats in the final third over the years, the Portuguese international fell short of the 19-year-old in his creative distribution, averaging 0.95 key passes per 90 to his 1.04 last term.
As such, the Old Gold could make a real statement in signing the promising young talent, in a move that could not only signify Lopetegui’s ambition, but one that could benefit the club for years to come.